Every 40 Minutes a Car Was Stolen Last Year In Toronto, Says Police Chief

Toronto Police has reported that almost 12,000 cars have been stolen all across the city last year, and it can be calculated that in every forty minutes a car is being stolen.

Chief Myron Demkiw says the stolen cars have a combined value of $790 million.

There have also been 68 carjackings so far in 2024, he says, which is a 106 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

In January, an incident was reported where a car with two children strapped inside the car seats. The suspects drove around for 15 minutes before being stopped by police.

The incidents that are occurring in Ontario have increased at a higher scale over the last years and Toronto being the main focus for the auto crime incidents. Dewkim states that the federal government has already been notified about the continued impact of organized crime in Toronto. And further adds, the criminals are making use of alleged weapons to instill fear in their victims.

“This is not just a law enforcement problem,” he told a board meeting on Monday.

“It is time to be bold and collaborative with all levels of government, along with vehicle manufacturers, port authorities and shipping companies … We need manufacturers to better protect vehicles from being stolen and cooperate with investigators to track stolen vehicles so we can catch offenders quickly and return vehicles to their owners.”

Demkiw says Toronto police recently launched a task force with provincial police to address car thefts and disrupt organized crime.

The unit has so far arrested 121 suspects, laid 730 charges and recovered 157 stolen vehicles.

Navneet Kaur