First new anti-auto theft cargo scanner coming to Brampton shipping hub

Brampton’s rail hub will be the first in the GTA to get new scanning technology that could help stop thousands of stolen vehicles from being shipped out of the country.

The federal government announced on Monday a new action plan to disrupt and dismantle organized crime groups in response to a massive increase in the number of stolen vehicles in the GTA and across Canada – vehicles that police say are often shipped out of the country and used as currency by criminals.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has been calling for enhanced screening measures at major shipping facilities including the Port of Montreal where nearly 600 stolen vehicles were recovered, and now says Brampton’s rail hub will be the first in the GTA to get the new tech.

Brown said in an interview on Breakfast Television that the new scanning technology will be used at the CN rail hub in Brampton “by the summer,” a timeline he called “ambitious.”

“If you give organized crime a loophole they will take advantage of it and, right now, organized crime in this country is more sophisticated than law enforcement when it comes to auto thefts,” Brown said.

On top of scanners, the new National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft includes proposed changes to the Criminal Code around penalties for auto thefts, specifically, thefts tied to money laundering and organized crime. It also includes plans for more intelligence sharing between municipal, provincial and federal governments, but Brown said he wants to see that collaboration go further.

Brown said he wants the feds to allow police from Peel and other areas get “consistent access” and jurisdiction to open shipping containers at the Montreal port, as well as tougher bail measures for those accused of property crimes including stolen autos.

Only around 1 per cent of the approximately 1.5 million shipping containers that leave the port are scanned every year, including more than $34 million in stolen vehicles recovered between December and March.

Some 5,806 vehicles were reported stolen in both Mississauga and Brampton in 2022, with another 4,482 thefts in Mississauga and 3,178 in Brampton last year for a total of 7,660. More than $1 billion in auto theft insurance claims were made in Ontario last year, and Brown said that number is expected to be closer to $2 billion for 2023.

The feds say most stolen vehicles exported are destined for Africa and the Middle East, while some stay in the country in “enabling other crimes to be committed.”

The new National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft follows several auto theft summits that saw vehicle manufacturers, law enforcement and government officials come together to tackle the issue of rising auto thefts.

The Canadian Border Services Agency has intercepted more than 1,200 stolen vehicles in railyards and ports so far this year, the feds say.