Toronto councillor sounds alarm on rise in small business break-ins across the city

A Toronto city councillor is sounding the alarm over a rise in break and enter thefts targeting local businesses across the city, saying more needs to be done to prevent these crimes from occurring.

Coun. Mike Colle, who represents Ward 8, Eglinton-Lawrence, hosted a summit Friday in response to receiving a record number of reports of small business break-ins within his ward.

"We have small, family-run businesses that are being financially devastated by these break ins," Colle told CBC Toronto Friday. 

"They're not only breaking into their business and sometimes taking products, they're taking their point-of-sale terminals… and they're accessing their accounts when they steal the terminals."

Colle said it's not small amounts of money: "In some cases, it's been up to $50,000 taken out of accounts of small business [owners]."

Toronto police saw a 19 per cent increase in break and enters in small businesses from 2022 to 2023, with a total of 300 point-of-sale terminal thefts reported last year. 

"We're working diligently on this," Acting Staff Supt. Shannon Dawson told reporters ahead of the summit, adding that it is a widespread issue across the city.

Dawson said the increase is likely the result of burglaries being seen as "crimes of opportunity." She said one people are successful, they tend to keep doing it.

She said police are helping businesses by putting preventative measures in place.

"The goal for us at the Toronto Police Service is to be able to provide the small businesses with crime prevention techniques and opportunities," Dawson said.

"It is very preventable by ensuring that these terminals are used properly, that passcodes are put on them and that they're secured can greatly decrease the ability for these thefts to be successful."

Dawson said the majority of break-ins occur overnight, when businesses are closed.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said more business owners should be aware of preventing point-of-sale terminal thefts, urging them to work with BIAs and other businesses in the community, along with the city and police, to prevent crime.

"Small businesses are the heart of our neighbourhood, the heart of our economy [and] Toronto," Chow said Friday at the summit.