Toronto police warn of vehicle warm-up thefts in Scarborough

Vehicle theft is a cold hard fact in Toronto. And the cold weather gives cunning thieves even more opportunities to speed off in your ride.

That’s the warning from the Toronto Police Service (TPS) after a trio of warm-up vehicle thefts were reported in Scarborough last weekend.

“Over the past weekend, officers responded to three incidents where vehicles were stolen while left running unattended while victims warmed up their vehicles due to colder temperatures,” TPS said in a release.

“Motorists are reminded that colder temperatures can create opportunities for criminals to target vehicles. These thefts happen quickly and are often crimes of opportunity, posing risks to both the vehicle owner and the public.”

Toronto police offered the following tips to help avoid falling victim:

• never leave a vehicle running/idling while unattended
• always remove the keys and take them with you
• park in a well-lit, attended area if possible
• lock all doors and windows
• use a remote starter system which is keyless to warm up your vehicle
• install an alarm system with a kill switch
• use a club (mechanical locking device)

Meanwhile, police in Durham Region say they’ve managed to put a dent in vehicle thefts after launching Project Attire — a separate unit dedicated to auto theft — in December 2023.

In a release, Durham police said so far in 2024, there’s been an eight per cent decrease in auto thefts and more than 50 per cent of stolen vehicles have been recovered.

“In just one year, the Project Attire team has conducted 865 auto theft investigations, and laid 341 charges against 81 individuals,” a release states.