York Regional Police launches ‘Operation Auto Guard 2.0’ 

York Regional Police isn’t easing up when it comes to preventing auto thefts.

On Wednesday, the police service announced details about “Operation Auto Guard 2.0,” a multi-pronged approach to combating car thefts that includes community engagement and enforcement in targeted neighbourhoods that are prone to crime.

“The brazen and violent nature of auto theft has escalated due to the involvement of organized crime,” YRP Chief Jim MacSween said. “They work in teams to scale up vehicles in advance, as their criminal organizations arrange delivery to overseas locations to complete the lucrative illegal circle.”

“We know that combating these extensive criminal activities will take more than one campaign, more than one police service and more than one approach,” he added.

The initiative will see police focus their investigations on neighbourhoods that are hotspots for auto theft. Officers will also be deployed into these communities to teach homeowners about crime prevention and distribute Faraday bags which help block signal duplicating devices from replicating key fobs.

Faraday bags will also be distributed in public locations like shopping malls and recreation centres along with crime prevention postcards which have been translated into four of the region’s most common languages: Farzi, Russian, traditional and simplified Chinese.

The first Operation Auto Guard was a seven-week initiative that launched in 2023 and led to the recovery of 80 vehicles worth more than $5 million.

It also led to the arrest of 56 people who face hundreds of charges.

Since then, police say auto thefts in the area have decreased by approximately 30 per cent.

“As of this week, there have been approximately 20,440 vehicles stolen in York Region, down from 3,460 at this time last year,” Chief MacSween said. “While we don’t want to celebrate too much, we do have to acknowledge the fact that a lot of the efforts are paying off.”

The Ontario government is providing $900,000 to York Regional Police as part of the province’s $18 million plan to combat auto theft.

“It’s particularly frustrating to law enforcement, to me, to mayors, to the people of Ontario, when we hear yet again that an offender was out on bail when they committed a crime,” Ontario’s Associate Minister of Auto Theft and Bail Reform Graham McGregor told reporters on Wednesday. “Canada’s catch and release bail system does not deter auto theft or carjackings. Frankly, it tells organized crime, business as usual.”

“When it comes to tackling auto theft, the federal government must be at the table,” he added.

The minister said the province also plans to equip police forces with helicopters so auto thieves “have nowhere to hide.”