Carjackings up 45% and auto thefts increased by 30% across Mississauga and Brampton

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Published November 25, 2022 at 2:22 pm

car theft mississauga
Photo by Erik Mclean

As vehicle thefts and carjackings continue to increase in Mississauga and Brampton, Peel Regional Police are planning a summit on the issue.

Carjackings, when a vehicle is taken through violence or threat of violence, have increased by 45 per cent in Peel and car thefts are up 30 per cent, said Peel Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said at the Peel Police Service Board today (Nov. 25).

From Jan. 1 to Nov. 25, there have been 5,064 vehicles reported stolen across Peel, according to the Peel Regional Police crime map.

Police have only solved 3.6 per cent of those thefts — 57.1 per cent are still being investigated, and 39.3 per cent are marked as unsolved.

“As auto thefts and carjackings continue to increase across Peel Region, community members have asked for decisive action to address the problem,” Peel Regional Police said in a press release.

At the Peel Police Service Board meeting today, Chair Ron Chatha and Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah committed to host a summit on auto thefts and carjackings.

They will invite the mayors, board chairs and police chiefs in Toronto, York, Durham, Halton, Hamilton and Niagara to discuss concrete actions to reduce auto thefts and carjackings and help increase solvency rates.

“As a Board, we have been advocated for increased action to address car thefts and carjackings,” said Chatha. “While we are seeing some positive actions, many members of the community are still concerned by this issue.”

The police board initially discussed the growing issue this spring.

Duraiappah said investigations have led to breaks in auto-theft rings.

“But more needs to be done,” he said. “Through multi-jurisdictional collaborations, we can continue to dismantle these organizations that are victimizing our communities, and proactively educate our residents on theft prevention and consumer protection measures.”

The date for the summit is not yet set but it is expected to be early in 2023.

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