Anger Over Apparent Lack Of Action On Thefts In GO Transit Parking Lots

If you take the train to work you may want to think twice before leaving your car in a GO Transit parking lot.

A lack of security services and thousands of vehicles provide easy pickings for thieves who routinely target the parking areas outside GO stations, stealing car parts in broad daylight, according to a published report.

Last month, several catalytic converters were reportedly pinched from vehicles parked in a lot at the Rouge Hill GO station at Lawrence Avenue East and Port Union Road. According to the report, daylight auto parts thefts are rampant and victims say there are few or no measures in place at GO Transit to deal with victims’ theft reports.

Police in Durham Region described the Pickering GO station parking lot as an “auto parts store” for thieves, according to the report, and said it’s not uncommon to see drivers leaving the station with lights, airbags, doors and other parts missing from their vehicles.

“I arrived there and my car was not there, and I wasn’t sure what to actually think, but eventually I found out that my car was actually stolen,” said rider Gillinann Mercurius.

Sundra Owusu-Sefa had her airbag stolen.

“I looked in my car and my window had been smashed in, and my steering wheel’s air bag…was gone.”

Authorities agree with customers that GO Transit is not doing enough to protect the vehicles left in their lots. GO said about 350 incidents of theft or vandalism are reported every year, but angry commuters claim that number is much larger. Approximately 12 million vehicles use GO parking lots annually.

“These type of snatch and grab thefts are under-reported generally,” explains the Ontario Safety League’s Brian Patterson.  “People are taking the loss without reporting it either to the lot, to the owner, or to their insurance company.

“I think there’s likely 350 (thefts) a month in this city.”

GO says it simply doesn’t have the resources to prevent the rash of thefts, but say they have increased patrols over the last few months.  They also claim they add new cameras to their lots every year. 

GO also says it has clearly posted signs informing theft victims to call Crime Stoppers or a transit enforcement number.

Thieves are also targeting those who get around on two-wheels, as well. About 5,000 bikes were reported stolen this year alone, but authorities believe that number is much higher.

Here’s some of your stories:

In October 2007 my Honda Civic was stolen from the Cooksville Station parking lot. It was recovered about one week later and took about 3 weeks to fix up so that it was drivable again. Unfortunately the irreplaceable items in my vehicle such as clothes, soccer balls  etc were not recovered. From then on I was super paranoid making sure to put both my alarm on as well as the club on my car. I also tried to arrive early and park closer to the station office. This however did not deter the GO station criminals because on Friday January 11, 2008 when I returned to my vehicle all four of my rims had been stolen. The criminals had broken into my vehicle, used my jack and my spare tire and had set up shop in the middle of the GO parking lot. How four tires get stolen and rolled out of the parking lot in broad daylight with no one noticing is beyond me. Is there no one patrolling these lots?

My car was stolen from the Pickering East lot in 2006. It has never been found. I asked security at the s tation if they had cameras and they  told me that they did and would provide footage to the Durham police if they requested it . That is the last I heard of it.

I don ‘ t take the train anymore!

This is nothing new at the GO station. I had my newely acquired chevy truck stolen from the Rouge Hill station back in 2001. Found three weeks later in Ajax scrapped. Even back then, it was a common occurence. Many, many commuters on the GO had their veheicles stolen or an attempted theft. Do an interview at the Rouge station any morning or afternoon and you will hear first hand the real stories Cheers Greg Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

I read your article concerning the GO parking lot issues and I completely disagree with what GO officials are saving.  I do not believe that 350 vehicles are broken into during the year.  I think they are trying to cover up the problems that they do have by lying about the numbers.  I believe it is higher than that.  I had my entire car audio system stolen from my car roughly a month ago.   I had my face plate for my car deck locked in my glovebox and they ripped my glove box down (causing damage to my dash) to get at the faceplate and my ipod adaptor.  When I went to the police to report it they told me that it happens all the time at the Brampton station.  When I contacted GO Transit, they would not confirm whether or not the video cameras were working in the lot and even if they were I couldn’t request a copy, it would have to be the police requesting it.  GO needs to be held more accountable for their parking lots.  We pay enough money to ride their service.  They are quick in handing out tickets to illegally parked vehicles but when it comes to customer safety, they don’t step up.  Security presence should be provided from 7:00 a.m. until at least 7:00 p.m.  when commuter parking is at its highest.  Look at shopping mall parking lots, they always have presence of security driving around or walking around to ensure that nothing is going on.  I am scared to come back to my car at the end of the day in case I have been broken into again.  With the reports that rideship is up this year due to gas prices, it won’t be long until more people become victims to thefts in GO parking lots. 

Hello,

I have had 3 incidents with GO transit.

-November of 2007 my 1992 Chevy Blazer was stolen from Kipling Go station.

-On Febuary 7 ^th 2008 the same Blazer (recovered) was broken into and I had $1500 worth of audio equipment stolen and the vehicle was damaged beyond repair.

-On April 23 ^rd my replacement vehicle for the aforementioned Blazer (2004 Mazda 3 GT) was broken into but nothing was taken (nothing in it)

The Blazer and the Mazda both had alarm systems installed at the time of the break ins but they do no good when no one is around.

Local Peel Police informed me that none of the lots are safer than others and sometimes up to 40 cars a day get broken into.

I spoke with a security Constable at Go Transit who did not seem to concerned so I called GO’s head office and was promised a return phone call which I never received.

I now ride my bike.

Just read your article on Go transit parking lot thefts.  I was almost a victim last month, I came back to my car after getting off the Go to find all of my bolts, with the exception of 2 were removed from my two rims on the passenger side.  Someone had obviously tried to steal my wheels and were possible scared off before they could actually get the wheels completely off the car.
 
Anyway, I called Go and filed a report, I spoke to a “Special Constable” and they said they’d note this incident and try to get some security for the lot….the keyword was “TRY”.  What a joke, I pay big bucks to take the Go from Appleby station in Burlington to Toronto, $245 a month, I expect security in the lots.
 
Alex

In response to your story, my vehicle was targeted in the King City GO Station parking lot, a couple months ago. Although the person didn’t get away with anything they caused $500.00 of damage to my vehicle which I paid for our of my own pocket. At some point during the day, they attempted to break into my vehicle using a screwdriver around the door handle. In an attempt to pry out the handle and get into my vehicle they did significant damage to the door. I was told to contact the york regional police to report the incident and when I did an online report (which stated that someone would contact me within 48hrs) I got no response. I was extremly upset because neither Go transit or the york regional police seem to care about the damage being done to vehicles and I am $500 out of pocket!