Project led by Halton police broke up home-invasion gang that targeted Milton, Oakville

Halton police highlighted their spearheading of a task force that saw four men arrested in their 2023 Annual Report.

Last January, according to the report, the attention of the Halton Regional Police Service was drawn to four individuals who had committed a widespread series of residential break and enters across southern Ontario, including more than a dozen in Oakville and Milton.

“The brazen criminal network was operating in an organized manner and had soon amassed dozens of occurrences a month,” said the recently released report.

“In some instances, the front doors of occupied residences had been kicked down in broad daylight. In others, the suspects fled from police, leaving few investigative leads behind.”

In May 2023, in an effort to identify those responsible for what would eventually total more than 150 break and enters provincewide, Halton police hosted a meeting with eight other Ontario police agencies which resulted in the creation of Project Splinter.

Over the next four months, investigators collected extensive data from dozens of judicial authorizations, broad canvassing, and intelligence gathering, which led to the identification of all four suspects by September 2023. Each had an extensive criminal history, which included break and enters, armed robberies, and other violent crimes.

“With the identity of the individuals known, officers were subsequently able to pinpoint their residences, telephone numbers, and vehicles, setting the stage for members of our Service to initiate surveillance operations. Additional valuable evidence was obtained as a result.”

In November 2023, search warrants were executed in Mississauga, Brampton, Hagersville, and Niagara, leading to the recovery of cash, stolen luxury items, and two, high-end, stolen vehicles.

Due to the sophistication of the group and tactics they employed to evade police capture – some of which put the safety of the public at risk – Project Splinter investigators worked together to develop and execute a multi-jurisdictional arrest plan that involved 90 officers from four additional police services.

The group now faces a combined total of more than 70 charges in relation to 45 residential break and enters, including 13 in Oakville and Milton.

According to the report, there were 885 break and enters in 2023 across Halton, up 8.2 per cent from 2022.