7,200 car thefts last year in Mississauga and Brampton

Peel police have been battling a dramatic increase in organized auto theft the past five years and their police chief has described the widespread crime as “an epidemic across many jurisdictions in Ontario,” but at least one recent number appears to be trending in the right direction as far as local law enforcement is concerned.

Figures from the Peel Regional Police 2024 Annual Report show after several years of significant increases in number of car thefts in Mississauga and Brampton, the number of occurrences dropped from 8,322 in 2023 to 7,231 last year.

The latter figure, a drop of 1,091 from the 2023 high, is still well more than double the number of car thefts from 2020 (3,376), previous annual reports from Peel police show.

By further comparison, the number of car thefts in Peel’s two cities was 4,119 in 2021 and 6,065 in 2022, according to police crime statistics.

The 2024 annual report from police was presented to members of the Peel Police Service Board last Friday at the oversight group’s latest meeting.

Faced with a significant increase in auto thefts the early part of this decade, Peel police — and other police forces across Ontario — have been much more aggressive in not only pursuing car thieves, but also in getting the message to car owners the best ways in which to protect their vehicles against theft.

Organized car theft rings most often target SUVs and other luxury vehicles, often taking them right from people’s driveways in the overnight hours as victims sleep, police say. Vehicles are also stolen from parking lots, including those at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga and shopping malls, or illegally acquired via sometimes violent carjackings and home invasions.

In addition to luxury vehicles and SUVs, sports cars are among the favourite targets of car thieves. (Photo: Peel Regional Police)

However they’re obtained, many stolen vehicles are quickly taken to Montreal, where they’re then shipped overseas for illegal sale in places include the Middle East and Africa, auto theft investigators have said.

Last May, Peel police welcomed law enforcement officials from across North America and other groups impacted by the rise in auto thefts to Mississauga for the the 51st annual Vehicle Crimes Conference. The four-day event, held to figure out ways to stop car crooks from getting away with the crime, was staged at the Mississauga Convention Centre.

A couple of months earlier, in March, Peel police held their second annual Auto Theft Summit at the Hyatt Mississauga where police from across Ontario in addition to representatives from the car and car insurance industry and the federal government met to brainstorm the problem.

There, Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah told attendees all involved must up their game and work together if they’re to keep the fast-growing problem of auto theft from spiraling out of control.

“Organized auto theft has become an epidemic across many jurisdictions in Ontario and it has escalated into a complex national issue impacting the safety and well-being of our communities,” Peel’s police chief said at the conclusion of the summit. “While we continue to dedicate significant policing resources and see positive results in the work, we also need solutions from government and automotive and insurance industries to vulnerabilities that are contributing to auto theft.”

Those who attended the summit heard, among other things, that organized auto theft had become one of the top three revenue generators for criminal organizations in Canada.