A constable with Toronto Police Services caused a stir over comments made during a community meeting last month that residents should leave their keys accessible to auto thieves as a means to prevent them from being harmed in a home invasion.
Const. Marco Ricciardi told Toronto residents that due to the dramatic increase in auto thefts, residents could protect the safety of themselves and their families by leaving their car keys outside their front door, so thieves can easily access them during a robbery.
“To prevent the possibility of being attacked in your home, leave your fobs at your front door, because they’re breaking into your home to steal your car. They don’t want anything else,” said Ricciardi at the meeting.
The meeting was held in Etobicoke to respond to residents’ concerns of auto thefts and break and enters, which have spiked exponentially over the past several years.
With a 400% increase in Toronto auto-thefts, the problem has gotten so out of control that it has garnered international coverage.
Toronto police reported 6,640 car thefts in 2021, 9,785 in 2022 and 12,170 last year. The amount of thefts in 2023 was triple what it was in 2015.
Toronto Police Services released a statement in response to the public backlash over Ricciardi’s comments, saying that it was only meant to prioritize personal safety over stolen property.
“An officer at a recent community meeting suggested that people leave the keys to their vehicle in a faraday bag by the front door. While well meaning, there are also other ways to prevent auto theft motivated home invasions,” reads the statement.
“For additional context, in Toronto, home invasions and break and enters for auto theft occurrences rose 400 percent in 2023. Police are concerned about an escalation in violence, where all sorts of weapons and firearms are being used to steal vehicles, and that includes during home invasions. ”
The Trudeau government recently pledged $28 million in funding for the Canada Border Services Agency to help it crackdown on the problem.
“After eight years of Justin Trudeau, car thefts are up 300% in Toronto and 100% in Ottawa and Montreal. Nationally, car thefts are up by more than a third since his Liberal government took office,” said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in response to the funding announcement.
Auto thefts across Canada have gotten so bad that residents in some higher-income areas have started hiring private security to patrol their neighbourhoods. Plus, there has been a dramatic spike in auto insurance premiums.
Premiums on commonly stolen models have increased anywhere from 25% to 50% since 2022, according to data from Rates.ca, a website that aggregates insurance pricing.
Certain models now come with a $500 high-theft vehicle surcharge.
For example, the average 35-year-old Toronto male resident with no prior convictions paid 26% more to insure his Honda CR-V in 2023 compared to what it would cost in 2022.
