Majority of Canadians Lack Confidence in Police Response to Rising Auto Theft: Poll

Peel Regional Police vehicles are seen on a street in Brampton, Ont., on Nov. 7, 2019. The Canadian Press/Cole Burston

Two-thirds of Canadians doubt the ability of police to recover stolen vehicles, according to a new poll from Nanos Research.

The survey found that 68 percent of Canadians lack confidence in law enforcement’s ability to deal with the increasing number of car thefts across the country. Only 29 percent said they had faith in police recovery efforts while 3 percent said they were unsure.

Of the 68 percent expressing skepticism, 38 percent were not confident at all and 30 percent said they were somewhat not confident in the response of police. Of those to express confidence, only 4 percent had total confidence in police compared to 25 percent who were only somewhat confident.

The survey of approximately 1,000 adults across the country also found that 41 percent of respondents think police are doing a worse job dealing with auto theft now than they were a decade ago.

Twenty-six percent said they felt police response to the issue today is the same as it’s always been, while 15 percent said efforts to recover lost vehicles have improved since 2014. Seventeen percent of those polled said they were unsure.

Perceptions varied by age and gender with women and older adults expressing more confidence in the abilities of law enforcement, but those views were more common in Ontario and Quebec, than in the Maritimes or the western provinces.

The poll results were released two days prior to a major auto theft ring bust by Peel Regional Police. Peel’s Commercial Auto Crime Bureau arrested three Toronto area men over the weekend after recovering 20 vehicles, including a number of high-end pickup trucks, valued at $1.8 million.

The joint investigation with the Canada Border Services Agency began after a police investigation of a Brampton trucking yard last December, Peel police said in an April 7 press release.

The investigation led police to an industrial location in Bolton that was being used to load stolen vehicles for overseas shipment. The cars were destined for foreign ports such as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Sohar, in Oman, police said.

Facing 12 charges in connection with the investigation is Fouad Shakhtour, 62, of Toronto while 38-year-old Ali Elfawair from Toronto faces eight charges. Harvir Boparai, 29, of Mississauga was charged with eight counts of trafficking stolen goods and 10 counts of possession of property obtained by crime.

Auto Theft on Rise

Toronto Police earlier this year said auto theft is a growing problem in Canada’s largest city with a car being stolen roughly every 40 minutes.

More than 12,000 vehicles were stolen in Toronto last year, for an average of 34 car thefts per day, Police Chief Myron Demkiw said during a March 18 press conference. He said violent carjacking and auto theft-related home invasions are also on the rise.

Auto theft has become a major issue not just in Toronto, but in large urban areas across Canada. Vehicle thefts have risen 50 percent in Quebec, 48.3 percent in Ontario, 34.5 percent in Atlantic Canada, and 18.35 percent in Alberta in 2022, according to a government press release

The acceleration in thefts since 2021 has prompted a meeting of ​​political leaders, law enforcement, and industry stakeholders in the nation’s capital in February to discuss ways to stem the number of cars being stolen and shipped abroad.

Much of the auto theft in Canada stems from organized crime, the government said in a recent press release, which described the operations as “highly lucrative” and “highly sophisticated” with rings operating coast-to-coast.