Police tips for most commonly stolen vehicles in Mississauga, Brampton and across Ontario
Published February 3, 2023 at 1:33 pm
Vehicle theft is on the rise in Ontario and police have some tips.
Mississauga and Brampton, like many communities across Ontario, have seen an increase in vehicle theft. Car thefts are up 30 per cent in the region.
Even cold weather doesn’t seem to deter thieves — at least 95 vehicles were stolen in the first week of 2023 (Jan. 1-7) in Peel Region. And nearly 6,000 were stolen in 2022.
Last November, Peel Regional Police said Range Rovers were being targeted for thefts in Mississauga and Brampton. But the OPP says newer model pickup trucks and SUVs are the most commonly stolen vehicles.
“The OPP are warning owners of newer model pick-up trucks and SUVs that these vehicles are being targeted by groups of organized criminals in thefts across the province,” OPP says in a tweet today (Feb. 3).
In a video, police show how thieves scope out a target, wait until night and use “key fob signal amplification” to steal the vehicle.
Videos
Key fobs left near the entryway of a home can be scanned and then used to enter and start the vehicle.
“The current tools being used are high-tech and can circumvent the existing anti-theft technologies on vehicles in a very small amount of time,” the OPP says in the video.
Typically, the cars are shipped out of Canada, the OPP noted. A recent example saw a used car lot in Ghana that appeared to be selling vehicles with Ontario licence plates with public posts on Instagram.
“These thefts happen quickly, sometimes in mere minutes and sometimes in the span of hours that stolen vehicle is on a shipping container leaving the country.”
OPP offers tips to make your vehicle harder to steal including parking in well-lit area, parking in a garage if possible, adding security cameras, and storing keys away from the front entrance.
People could also use a Faraday bag, which blocks the radio signal from vehicle key FOBs.
This week, the City of Brampton announced it is rolling out a program to give thousands of free Faraday bags to car owners in Brampton.
OPP also suggested using “the club”, an old-school security device that locks on the steering wheel.
As vehicle theft continues to be a huge issue, the Peel Police Services Board announced it will host a summit on March 10 at the Toronto Airport Marriott. The summit will be live-streamed, making it accessible to a wider audience.
Mayors, board chairs and police chiefs in Toronto, York, Durham, Halton, Hamilton and Niagara are expected to discuss concrete actions to reduce auto thefts and carjackings and help increase solvency rates.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertisingThe OPP are warning owners of newer model pick-up trucks and SUV's that these vehicles are being targeted by groups of organized criminals in thefts across the province.
Here are some tips on how to better protect your vehicle and potentially deter criminals:
^rs pic.twitter.com/HuagOaBlSV— OPP Central Region (@OPP_CR) February 3, 2023