The 10-month Toronto Police investigation also led to the recovery of $60M in stolen vehicles
A 10-month investigation aimed at tackling a spike in auto thefts in the city’s west end has led to more than 200 arrests and the recovery of about $60-million worth of stolen vehicles.
Toronto Police say Project Stallion, which was launched in November 2022 and wrapped up last month, has resulted in 553 charges laid against 228 people – many of them still kids in the eyes of the law – and the recovery of 1,080 stolen vehicles.
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“Whether it be carjackings, home invasions, assaults, or other forms of intimidation, the level of violence being used in the commission of these crimes represents a new and evolving threat to public safety,” Chief Myron Demkiw said Wednesday at a news conference held at the Toronto Police College.
“This level of threat and crime is unacceptable to me as the chief of police,” he added, standing in front of five high-end vehicles that were recovered.
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Demkyw said Project Stallion is “just one of the strategic and intelligence-led initiatives the service has undertaken to tackle this ongoing problem.”
He noted the Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force, which involves the OPP and other police services across the province, announced last week that it had made 24 arrests and laid 116 charges.
“We are not only taking action to recover stolen vehicles but are working collaboratively with our partners to disrupt the networks responsible for auto thefts, which are becoming increasingly violent and high-risk,” Demkyw said.
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There have been 9,747 vehicles stolen in Toronto so far in 2023, and during the Project Stallion investigation, more than 3,500 vehicles were stolen in 22 and 23 Divisions, located in Etobicoke, according to police.
Supt. Ron Taverner, 22 and 23 district commander, explained thieves use stolen vehicles to commit other violent crimes, ship them for sale overseas, or re-VIN the vehicles to sell them domestically.
“It seems there are younger and younger people, young offenders, that are being involved in these thefts,” he said.
“And being perfectly honest, this all revolves around money,” Taverner maintained. “It’s a lucrative business for people.”
He said car thefts, which can be “incredibly traumatic” for victims, have more than doubled since 2019 and thieves mainly target high-end vehicles. There has also been an increase in thefts of catalytic converters.
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Of the 1,080 vehicles recovered in Project Stallion, Taverner said many were found in the GTA, while others were located at the Port of Montreal in shipping containers bound for overseas.
Demkyw said tackling the complex issue of rampant auto theft requires “all hands on deck.”
“There are a number of players who have a role to play in stopping the flow of stolen goods from our country to abroad,” he said, pointing to the manufacturers and the shipping industry.
@sundoucette
PROJECT STALLION RESULTS
ARRESTS: 228
CHARGES LAID: 553
VEHICLES RECOVERED: 1,080
VALUE OF VEHICLES: $59,065,120
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