A successful York Regional Police initiative taking aim at auto theft will continue following a 30 per cent reduction year over year in the number of vehicles stolen in the region.
For a six-week period beginning last October, York Regional Police conducted Operation Auto Guard 2.0 to combat auto theft in the south end of York Region, according to a news release.
"This operation, along with many other operations led by YRP in 2023 and 2024, have made a significant impact on the number of auto thefts in York Region. As of Oct. 31, 2024, there have been 2,732 vehicles stolen in York Region, down from 3,902 by that date in 2023 — a 30 per cent decrease year over year," police said.
Operation Auto Guard 2.0 focused on disrupting organized crime groups who steal vehicles with the intention of shipping them offshore. It led to the recovery of 15 vehicles worth approximately $487,000, with 17 people facing 127 charges. Of the 17 arrested individuals, two were youths breaching Youth Criminal Justice sentencing and nine were adults breaching a probation or release order, police said.
Auto Guard 2.0 incorporated a multi-pronged approach that included enforcement, community engagement and proven crime prevention strategies.
The campaign used a data-driven approach to identify hot spots for vehicle theft, which became the focus of both enforcement and crime prevention efforts. Officers were deployed into these neighbourhoods to provide residents with crime prevention tips, police said. This auto theft prevention strategy will continue into next spring.
Officers distributed more than 7,000 Faraday bags to drivers, as well as 10,000 information cards recommending six steps to prevent auto theft. The cards, available at yrp.ca/autoguard, are in English, Farsi, Russian and both traditional and simplified Chinese.
"This diverse approach was engaged to optimize the reach of the prevention messaging in Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill where those languages are spoken by many residents," police said.
Operation Auto Guard 2.0 received funding provided by the Ontario Government’s Ministry of the Solicitor General in which the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario supported this ongoing criminal investigation.
"We recognize the need for multiple strategies across all levels of government, law enforcement, community agencies and our citizens to end auto theft. We continue to work with other police services in joint-forces operations across the GTA and organizations like Équité, Aviva Insurance and the Canada Border Services Agency, as well as leveraging community engagement to enhance our strategy," police said.
