York Regional Police has been honoured with the Leadership in the Prevention of Vehicle Crimes Award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
The award recognizes outstanding achievement in preventing vehicle theft and showcases the connection between vehicle crime and subsequent violent crime, according to a York Regional Police news release. Agencies are evaluated on initiative, use of available resources and overall results.
Deputy Chief Paulo Da Silva accepted the award from sponsor GM/OnStar public safety and engagement strategy manager Sherry LeVeque on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Boston, Mass.
“This international award recognizes the innovative thinking and hard work of many York Regional Police members, across multiple units, to address the rise in auto thefts in our region,” said Chief Jim MacSween. “I’m proud of their efforts and our ongoing commitment to involve our community in our crime prevention programs.”
Operation Auto Guard, which ran in the fall of 2023, was a combined campaign of crime prevention efforts and targeted enforcement, with a focus on disrupting organized crime groups that steal vehicles and ship them overseas. It led to the recovery of 80 vehicles worth more than $5 million, with 56 people charged with almost 300 offences.
That initiative, and many others through 2023 and 2024, have made a significant impact on the number of auto thefts in York Region. As of Aug. 31, 2024, there have been 1,868 vehicles stolen in York Region, down from 2,720 in 2023 — a 31 per cent decrease year over year.
The recently launched Auto Guard 2.0 builds on the success of last year’s operation, employing a multi-pronged approach that includes enforcement, active community engagement and proven crime prevention strategies, release stated. The force continues to use a data-driven approach to identify hot spots for vehicle theft and YRP will focus enforcement and crime prevention efforts in these areas. Officers will also engage the community in public locations, such as shopping malls and recreation centres, handing out postcards with crime prevention tips in multiple languages, and Faraday bags, which block the signal-duplicating devices that replicate key fobs.
