Record 711 vehicles stolen in January in Mississauga and Brampton

With the start of the 2023 new year, Peel Regional Police investigated 711 vehicle thefts for the month of January in Mississauga and Brampton.

In the first week alone, from Jan. 1 to Jan. 8 approximately 95 vehicles were reported stolen, compared to only 10 vehicles stolen during the first seven days of Jan. 2022.

Police say throughout the remainder of January the number of vehicle thefts increased phenomenally. According to public data, only 13 cases were solved while 57 were unsolved and a whopping 641 are ongoing.

The following map shows where the 711 motor thefts took place:

Early this year, police conducted an investigation that lead to 51 arrests in connection to 215 motor vehicle thefts and 3 Mississauga residents were among those charged.

Police say the 215 vehicles combined worth was $17.4 million. Other items recovered during the search were: $100,000 in firearms, including 15 handguns, one assault-style rifle, magazines and ammunition as well as quantities of drugs including fentanyl, MDMA, cocaine and Oxycodone worth an undisclosed amount of money.

Motor thefts are on the rise. It’s happening on a frequent basis in Mississauga, Brampton, and surrounding areas, prompting the Peel Police Services Board to host a summit on March 10 at the Toronto Airport Marriott.

Mayors, board chairs and police chiefs in Toronto, York, Durham, Halton, Hamilton and Niagara are expected to discuss concrete actions to reduce auto thefts and carjackings and help increase solvency rates.

The summit will be live-streamed, making it accessible to a wider audience.