Insurance group releases list of Ontario's 10 most stolen vehicles 2023
Violent car thefts are on the rise, GTA police services say
How big of a target is your vehicle for theft? If it's a Range Rover, the chances are high — for every 14 in the province, one is stolen, according to a new report.
Équité Association, an organization that works to stop crime on behalf of the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry, has released a list of the top 10 most frequently stolen vehicles in the province last year.
Topping the list are the 2022 Land Rover Range Rover, the 2022 Land Rover Defender and the 2021 Cadillac Escalade Series.
Brian Gast, vice president of Équité's investigative services division, says criminals made just over $1 billion just off of cars stolen in Ontario,
"That's the money that is up for grabs for organized crime. That's what it's about," he told CBC Radio's Metro Morning in an interview. "It's being used to purchase guns, drugs, whatever the case may be. It's being used to further their criminal operations domestically and internationally. So it's a very big concern and it goes beyond financial."
Équité released a report in February that said auto theft increased 48 per cent in Ontario from 2021 to 2023. It also said a car is stolen in Canada every five minutes.
Earlier this year, the federal and provincial governments as well as police services across the GTA put forward initiatives to reduce car thefts. But Gast and others say more needs to be done.
One thing his organization hopes to achieve is tighter security vehicles on cars sold in Canada.
WATCH | Report finds fighting auto theft in Canada will take more work:
"Globally, vehicles are manufactured to the requirements of whatever particular country when it comes to the security package, and we're looking to elevate and make the Canadian security package much more robust."
Home invasions, carjackings up: Peel police
According to Peel Regional Police, York Regional Police and Toronto Police Services traditional car thefts have decreased, but now more criminals are resorting to violence to steal vehicles.
In Toronto alone, home invasions related to car theft have gone up nearly 140 per cent and carjackings have increased by 18 per cent, based on year-to-date police data.
Det. Greg O'Connor with Peel Regional Police's auto theft unit says his team is seeing similar trends.
"Unfortunately, carjackings and the home invasion numbers are rising. But, we've doubled the size of our unit in Peel region. We currently have 16 members in our auto theft unit, so we're seeing a large increase of the recoveries that are going through."
O'Connor and Gast recommend drivers install a tracker and an immobilizer on their vehicle and park in a garage if possible.
"If you do come into an instance where somebody is making demands for your car or something along those lines, they build a car every day. They don't build people every day," O'Connor said.
"Just let that car go. It's not worth what could come down the road."