'This is the spot': Police focus on combating auto theft, violent carjackings in GTA

Scott Cresswell was behind the wheel of an unmarked white police truck as he drove across the Greater Toronto Area looking for compounds that might be used to hide stolen vehicles.

The York Regional Police detective entered a crowded commercial zone in Mississauga, Ont., where dozens of cars were parked, scanning for suspicious signs. He then drove to a neighbourhood outside the Halton Hills region, where a large, isolated home sat near farmland, surrounded by a fenced yard.

After inspecting the property from the outside, Cresswell said he had strong reason to suspect it could be a "cool off" site where stolen vehicles are kept for a few days to ensure they aren't being tracked.

"That is the spot," Creswell told his colleague over the phone. "This is a dynamite spot."

The country has an auto theft problem so severe the Insurance Bureau of Canada has called it a "national crisis." The issue is particularly acute in the Greater Toronto Area, where police forces have been refocusing efforts on tackling the situation. 

WATCH | Porsche owner runover during daytime theft: 

In York Region, made up of nine communities north of Toronto, Cresswell's unit of 10 officers is on the front lines of attempts to combat auto theft. The unit is tasked with surveillance, tracking and arresting suspects. The team also aims to return stolen vehicles to their owners.

While driving from site to site on a surveillance mission, Cresswell said dozens of criminal groups are involved in auto theft across southwestern Ontario, motivated by what he called a massive supply of high-end vehicles parked on easily accessible driveways.

"The issue is that the cars are super valuable," he said. "They're very easy to steal, they're in high demand overseas."

That creates a "perfect situation" for thieves, the detective said, particularly as stolen vehicles can fairly easily be taken to the Port of Montreal and shipped out of the country.

Most stolen cars head to countries in Africa and the Middle East, where Toyotas and Hondas as well as luxury brands such as Lexus and Range Rovers are in demand, Cresswell said. Electric vehicles often aren't targeted because of a lack of charging infrastructure in those countries. A small percentage are disguised as new cars and resold in Canada, he said.

More than 70,000 private vehicles were stolen across Canada last year, with more than 30,000 taken in Ontario, according to the Equite Association, an anti-crime organization funded by insurance companies.

Those statistics have been noticed internationally: in a report published earlier this year, Interpol said Canada was among the top 10 worst countries out of 137 for stolen vehicles, based on data collected between February and May.

The overall picture might be looking slightly better this year — the first six months of 2024 saw a decline of 17 per cent in auto theft over the same period in 2023, according to the Equite Association.