For a six-week period beginning in October, York Regional Police conducted Operation Auto Guard 2.0, a campaign aimed at combating auto theft in the south end of York Region.
This operation, along with many other operations led by YRP in 2023 and 2024, have made a significant impact on the number of auto thefts in York Region. As of October 31, 2024, there have been 2,732 vehicles stolen in York Region, down from 3,902 by that date in 2023 - a 30 per cent decrease year over year.
Building on the success of the initial operation, Auto Guard 2.0 once again incorporated a multi-pronged approach that included enforcement, active community engagement and proven crime prevention strategies.
Auto Guard 2.0 leveraged a data-driven approach to identify hot spots for vehicle theft. Those areas then became the focus of both enforcement and crime prevention efforts. Officers were deployed into these neighbourhoods to provide residents with crime prevention tips. This auto theft prevention strategy will continue into the spring of 2025.
Officers distributed more than 7,000 Faraday bags to drivers as well as 10,000 information cards recommending six steps to prevent auto theft. The cards which can be found at yrp.ca/autoguard were made available in the following languages: English, Farsi, Russian and both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. This diverse approach was engaged to optimize the reach of the prevention messaging in Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill where those languages are spoken by many residents.
Operation Auto Guard 2.0 focused on disrupting organized crime groups who steal vehicles with the intention of shipping them offshore. It led to the recovery of 15 vehicles worth approximately $487,000, with 17 people facing 127 charges. Of the 17 arrested parties, two were youths breaching Youth Criminal Justice sentencing and nine were adults breaching a probation or release order.
The successful completion of Operation Auto Guard 2.0 was made possible through funding provided by the Ontario Government’s Ministry of the Solicitor General in which the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario supported this ongoing criminal investigation.
We recognize the need for multiple strategies across all levels of government, law enforcement, community agencies and our citizens to end auto theft. We continue to work with other police services in joint-forces operations across the GTA and organizations like Équité, Aviva Insurance and the Canada Border Services Agency, as well as leveraging community engagement to enhance our strategy.
For more information, please contact the Media Relations Unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 2664 or mediarelations@yrp.ca.
Visit our Community Safety Data Portal for complete stats and crime data within York Region. Crime prevention is our shared responsibility. Learn more about Operation Streetview.
Prepared by: Ian Duffy
Strategic Communications Specialist
December 11, 2024
