80 stolen cars found as new police squad targets break-ins, auto thefts in Mississauga, Brampton

A new police crime-fighting team formed to reduce break-ins and car thefts in Mississauga and Brampton has so far led to 21 arrests and the recovery of 80 stolen vehicles.

Launched on Sept. 1, the Peel Regional Police Break-and-Enter and Auto Response squad — aka BEAR unit — is a specialized team of plainclothes officers that targets “organized break-and-enter and auto-related crimes.”

The squad is part of a pilot project designed to “enhance enforcement, strengthen victim support and proactively disrupt criminal networks affecting communities across Peel,” Peel police said in a news release on Tuesday.

The BEAR unit was established “after a growing trend of calculated and coordinated crimes was identified in Peel, including break-and-enters and auto theft,” police noted.

In the first three months of the pilot, the BEAR unit has made “significant arrests, recovered many vehicles and laid over 160 charges, disrupting organized property crime” in Mississauga and Brampton, police added.

To date, numbers show the new squad has arrested 21 suspects, laid 165 charges and recovered 80 stolen vehicles.

Peel police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said the BEAR unit has made “a real impact on organized property crime, dismantling networks that target our residents and businesses and strengthening relationships with the communities we serve.”

He added that through proactive enforcement, collaboration and prevention, “we are making Peel safer and sending a clear message that crime will not be tolerated.”

Police said supporting victims of such organized property crimes is a top priority of the BEAR squad crime-fighting pilot, which will continue until March before being evaluated for possible longer-term implementation.

Image from a Peel Regional Police video shows a suspect about to be arrested.

“Officers successfully and proactively engaged with 95 per cent of identified victims within 72 hours of reporting, providing timely information, support and resources — including crime prevention materials, an online evidence submission portal and opportunities for feedback,” police said.

Beyond enforcement, the unit also focuses on prevention and strengthening community relationships through community meetings, partnerships with shopping malls, hotels, hospitals and property managers, and the distribution of crime prevention and educational materials across the region, investigators added.

Residents can also go online to access crime prevention tips for break-and-enters and auto thefts.

(Cover photo: Taken from Peel Regional Police video)