27 vehicles were stolen in Burlington, Oakville and Milton in 7 days

Twenty-seven vehicles were stolen this past week in Burlington, Oakville and Milton.

According to Halton Regional Police crime data, the thefts were spread out through the three communities with no particular neighbourhood targeted.

Here is the breakdown (March 20 to March 26)

• Oakville – 12 stolen vehicles
• Burlington – 8 stolen vehicles
• Milton – 7 stolen vehicles

Last week the Halton Regional Police Auto Theft Task Force was involved in an operation with other police departments that recovered 24 stolen vehicles valued at $2.1 million. One of the vehicles recovered was a white Rolls-Royce valued at approximately $500,000.

Most vehicles stolen are ‘reprogrammed’ thefts where the culprits enter the car and reprogram the ignition computers, this allows them to be driven away using a new key.

Typically, stolen vehicles are taken to the Port of Montreal or loaded into shipping containers in Toronto and transported to Montreal by rail. They are then shipped to destinations in the Middle East or Africa.

Police say there are measures that can be taken to decrease the chance of a vehicle being stolen:

• Park your vehicle in a locked garage
• Block the exit of a potential target vehicle with a second vehicle parked behind it
• Install an on-board diagnostic blocker/protector
• Install a steering wheel lock device
• Install an aftermarket GPS tracking device
• Install home security cameras on the exterior of the residence