Massive Police Blitz Hits Mississauga This Summer
Published May 10, 2018 at 8:06 pm
Police services across Ontario – including Peel Regional Police – have officially launched a very important campaign to combat illegal street racing across the province.
A total of 22 police services including Barrie police, Durham Regional Police, Belleville police, Ontario Provincial Police, Peel Regional Police, Halton Regional Police, South Simcoe police, York Regional Police, and more, are participating in Project E.R.A.S.E.(Eliminate Racing Activity On Streets Everywhere).
The campaign launched on Wednesday May 9 at Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan and it aims to eliminate “street racing and other high-risk driving behaviours” from streets in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and beyond, reads a release from Barrie police.
It’s no secret that street racing is a major and dangerous issue across the province.
“Aggressive driving and street racing are dangerous, unlawful activities which put innocent people at risk of injury or death,” reads the release.
“The real finish line may be court, fines, jail, vehicle seizure, a loss of driving privileges or even worse the hospital or the morgue.”
Police will be using a variety of methods to stop illegal street racing in Ontario, including helicopters and undercover vehicles.
According to the release, street racing reaching “epidemic proportions” in the 1990s. It was in 1996 that three officers from Ontario Provincial Police, Peel Regional Police and the York Regional Police created “Operation Dragnet” to reduce illegal street racing.
That project has now evolved into this massive police blitz.
Police advise residents call 9-1-1 if they see dangerous driving practices that could cause personal injury or loss of life. The release states residents should “try to note the vehicle’s location, direction of travel, make, model, licence plate number and driver’s description.”
Graphic courtesy of Barrie police