Home invasions and car thefts ‘out of control’ in Mississauga, residents tell city

Car thefts and home invasions are “out of control” in Mississauga, residents told city officials in a recent community engagement and feedback exercise.

That collective sentiment aligns with concerns expressed by Peel Regional Police, who’ve also provided statistics showing those crimes, often violent in nature, have become more prevalent in both Mississauga and Brampton the past several years.

Comprehensive feedback from residents and others on a wide array of issues that impact them was gathered in 2025 by the City of Mississauga as it updates its Strategic Plan for the coming decade.

One of many questions posed to thousands of Mississauga residents asked: What is one thing you would like to change or improve about Mississauga?

Transportation and traffic topped the list of answers, with 30 per cent of respondents identifying that as an area in need of improvement. Housing and affordability came next (20 per cent) while safety and crime was third (12 per cent).

(Source: City of Mississauga)

Of 2,214 comments from the public received by the city related to safety and crime, most focused on car thefts, home invasions and break-ins, and reckless driving, a report summarizing the community feedback shows.

As far as potential solutions are concerned, “respondents requested visible policing, tougher enforcement and community-led prevention programs,” the report, presented to city councillors for discussion on Wednesday at general committee, noted.

City officials who authored the detailed report also offered several direct quotes from respondents deemed representative of the public feedback.

“Car thefts and home invasions are out of control,” led the way, with “Enforce traffic laws — people ignore stop signs and speed through school zones” also a popular theme/response.

A third quote provided noted “panhandlers at intersections make us feel unsafe.”

In late 2024, Mississauga city council endorsed an ongoing effort to refresh the Strategic Plan, which hadn’t been updated since 2009. At that time, the report presented this week noted, council gave “a clear directive to engage the community and ensure their voices are reflected in shaping the future of Mississauga.”

City officials subsequently launched a broad public engagement campaign that ran from last February until June and sought feedback from residents, workers, students and community partners.

Concerned residents meet with police 

Increasingly concerned about a rise in violent crime in its corner of the city, a relatively new Mississauga residents’ group met once again with police this past November to discuss the disturbing trend.

The Lorne Park Neighbourhood Safety Group was formed over a year ago to address crime concerns of residents in the affluent area of south Mississauga. Members of the group, who number around 400, are concerned about various serious crimes that have impacted their neighbourhoods since the latter part of 2024 and include car thefts, carjackings and violent home invasions in which the offenders are armed.

Senior officers with Peel police first met with the fledgling citizens’ group in December 2024 in response to community concerns over growing crime.

As a result of that meeting, police stepped up patrols in the Lorne Park area in efforts to combat car thefts, home invasions and other crimes that were on the upswing at that time.

Violent criminals continued to target communities

Despite those efforts, violent criminals continued to target that part of Mississauga in addition to other parts of the city, region and Greater Toronto Area.

Last summer, police in Peel revealed details about Project Ghost, a sweeping investigation into more than a dozen violent home invasions that terrorized — and in some cases seriously injured — homeowners and their families in Mississauga, Brampton and elsewhere in the GTA.

In that probe, investigators alleged an organized group used teens to carry out the violent incidents that dated back to summer 2024 and netted the culprits more than $1.8 million in high-end vehicles and jewelry as they terrorized their victims.

Police arrested 13 people, including seven from Mississauga, and they faced a total of 197 charges.

Mississauga Ward 2 Coun. Alvin Tedjo spoke last summer at a Peel Regional Police press conference at police headquarters in Mississauga. Tedjo said violent crime was on the rise.

Mississauga Ward 2 Coun. Alvin Tedjo, who attended the police press conference last summer in which details of the crimes were released, said at the time a number of the violent incidents occurred in the city’s southwest area he represents.

He noted one Mississauga home invasion in early 2025 saw residents of the home “tied up and held at gunpoint.”

“This was an unusually violent, organized criminal network that terrorized families and drafted vulnerable youth into its activities,” Tedjo added at the time.

Carjacking victim fights back

In an unrelated incident on Jan. 4, 2025, an attempted carjacking in the area turned violent and one of four suspects suffered a gunshot wound when the victim fought back.

Police at the time noted that four culprits confronted a man as he pulled his luxury vehicle into the driveway of a home near Lorne Park Road and Lakeshore Road West.

“The victim was struck with a firearm while the suspects attempted to get into his vehicle,” police said at the time. “A struggle ensued and a gunshot was believed to have been discharged.”

Having been unsuccessful in their attempt to steal the man’s vehicle, the would-be carjackers fled the scene.

The victim suffered minor injuries.