A record 553 cars were stolen in the last 30 days in Mississauga and Brampton

Keep an eye on your vehicles — auto theft appears to be only getting more prevalent across Mississauga and Brampton.

In the past 30 days (Nov. 10 to Dec. 10), Peel Regional Police data indicates that a record number of 553 vehicles were stolen.

For reference, 5,248 vehicles were stolen from the beginning of January until end of November, which averages to about 477 vehicles stolen a month.

Of the 553 vehicle thefts during the past 30 days, criminals targeted 399 automobiles, 148 trucks, and five motorcycles, with one of the thefts being listed by police simply as “other motor vehicles.”

Police say car thieves are targeting Range Rovers in particular.

As of today (Dec. 10), the investigations into four of these incidents are considered solved, 50 are unsolved, and the other 499 are still ongoing.

The map shows where each vehicle theft took place:

With auto thefts happening at increasingly alarming rates in Mississauga and Brampton, Peel Regional Police are planning a summit in 2023 to discuss the issue.

At a Peel Police Service Board meeting on Nov. 25, it was reported that carjackings in Peel have risen by 45 per cent in Peel, while car thefts are up 30 per cent.

“As auto thefts and carjackings continue to increase across Peel Region, community members have asked for decisive action to address the problem,” police said.

The summit will invite the mayors, board chairs and police chiefs in Toronto, York, Durham, Halton, Hamilton and Niagara to discuss concrete actions to reduce auto thefts and carjackings and help increase solvency rates.

There’s no set date for the summit yet, but is expected to be held sometime in early 2023.

Police have offered the following tips and guidelines to help prevent vehicle theft:

• If possible, park vehicles in a locked garage
• Install GPS trackers in vehicles if possible
• Install steering wheel lock systems
• Store vehicle keys/fobs away from the exterior walls of your home
• Consider storing keys/fobs in Faraday boxes
• Make sure the doors are locked and the windows are rolled up
• Ensure there is adequate lighting in the area of driveways and entranceways

With files from Karen Longwell