Learn how to prevent becoming a victim of auto theft in Brampton at town hall with police chief
Published April 26, 2024 at 10:42 am
The city and Peel police are working on solutions to stop the rise of auto thefts, including one that’s helped stolen vehicles drop by more than 30 per cent in some parts of the city.
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah will be joined by Mayor Patrick Brown and members of Brampton City Council next month for a virtual town hall meeting to update residents on steps taken to stop an ever-increasing number of stolen vehicles in the region.
Drivers can also learn how to sign up for a program that the city says has cut down on auto thefts in some parts of Brampton by up to 37 per cent.
It’s called the city’s Auto Theft Reduction Pilot Project and was launched in 2023 following a record-breaking number of vehicle thefts in both Mississauga and Brampton.
The pilot saw the city give out some 5,000 signal-blocking Faraday bags, which block the radio signal from vehicle key FOBs and help what police call “relay thefts,” to Brampton residents in five hot spot areas.
A report to council showed there were 60 vehicle thefts in the pilot area between Jan. 1 to June 1. But for the remainder of the year, the number of stolen vehicles dropped to 38 in those same areas and also dropped 45 per cent on streets in the surrounding areas.
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The town hall will offer information and help to residents signing up for the pilot and learn how they can get a signal-blocking Faraday pouch from the city, donated by Performance Auto Group.
Police say “convenience” features like keyless entry have made vehicles much easier to steal, and have called on manufacturers to make vehicles more difficult to steal, and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has repeatedly called on Ottawa to recall the 10 most stolen vehicles in Canada with keyless ignitions and keyless locks “until the technology is fixed.”
Residents are paying the bill for the auto theft crisis through their insurance premiums, with Brampton drivers paying the highest premiums in the province at an average of $2,922 every year.
The OPP has said some 80 per cent of vehicles stolen in Canada bound for international markets, with approximately 75 per cent of all stolen vehicles recovered at the Port of Montreal coming from Ontario.
The Auto Theft Telephone Town Hall runs on May 7 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Online registration is required before the event.
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