Ontario investing $51M over three years to tackle auto theft

Ontario is spending $51 million over three years to try to fight auto theft, which the government says has increased 14 per cent in the last year alone.

Solicitor General Michael Kerzner says the measures are aimed at dismantling organized crime groups and bringing criminals to justice.

Part of the money is set to go toward creating an organized crime and auto theft team led by the Ontario Provincial Police.

As well, the government says it is creating a major auto theft prosecution team to provide dedicated legal and prosecution support to the OPP when taking complex cases to court.

“While vehicle theft is not new, the frequency of these incidents and the level of involvement of organized criminal networks represents a new and evolving threat,” said OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique.

“The OPP-led Organized Crime Towing and Auto Theft Team addresses this issue from a provincial and inter-provincial level. With the support of our partners, including the Sûreté du Québec and the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal, we will disrupt the threat posed by these organized crime networks.”

The money is also set to go toward a grant for police services for extra tools, supports and resources to tackle auto theft, including technology to find and identify stolen vehicles, as well as for public awareness campaigns.

The province says that in Ontario a car is stolen every 48 minutes.