These vehicles are the most targeted stolen cars in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario

Mississauga and Brampton residents are being urged by police to do their part in the fight against car theft, a crime more prevalent in Peel than anywhere else in Canada.

As Peel Regional Police continue to step up efforts to try keep a lid on the dramatic increase in the number of auto thefts the last couple of years, they’re again asking vehicle owners to do a few things to keep their cars safe, especially while the vehicles are parked at home in the late night and overnight hours.

In a post to social media Monday morning, police said people should take extra precautions in protecting their vehicles — particularly luxury SUVs and cars, and pickup trucks.

“Peel has been dealing with numerous stolen vehicles. Police are working diligently to investigate these occurrences,” Peel police said in a post to X (formerly Twitter). 

In the post, police said a number of specific vehicles including Range Rovers, Ford pickup trucks and Honda CRVs are among the models most recently targeted by auto thieves.

“Across Peel and the GTA, there has been a rise in thefts targeting specific vehicles from residential driveways at night,” police said, adding many of the thefts are preventable.

Some steps people can take to protect their vehicles include:

• park vehicle in garage, if possible
• if you have a second vehicle, park it directly behind your vehicle more likely to be targeted by thieves
• use an aftermarket locking device such as a steering wheel lock or other locks
• invest in outdoor security cameras for your home
• ensure your property is well lit
• install aftermarket products like a GPS tracking device, a “shut-off switch” that remotely shuts off the vehicle and an on-board data port lock to prevent thieves from cloning your key
• don’t leave your key FOBs by the front door. Keep them as far away as possible from the vehicle
• store car keys in a Faraday/RFID Blocking device when possible
• be aware of suspicious vehicles in your neighbourhood and report any such vehicles to police

The latest statistics from Peel police show that from Jan. 1 through March 30 of this year, 1,048 vehicles were reported stolen in Mississauga and 939 in Brampton. That’s an average of some 21 thefts per day.

In late March, police across Ontario, the car and car insurance industry and the federal government came together for a Mississauga summit aimed at curbing auto theft.

The second annual Peel police Auto Theft Summit, held at the Hyatt Mississauga, was attended by more than 150 participants.

The one-day brainstorming session that took direct aim at what has become one of the top three revenue generators for criminal organizations once again welcomed police chiefs, other senior law enforcement brass, government officials, representatives from the car and car insurance industries and other stakeholders to the table to talk about ways to stamp out car thefts.

Peel police will host another big event early next month aimed at cracking down on car thefts — one with a broader, more international scope.

The 51st annual Vehicle Crimes Conference, staged by Peel cops in collaboration with the U.S.-based Northeast Regional Chapter of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, will take place May 6-9 at the Mississauga Convention Centre.

The four-day event will feature numerous guest speakers, workshops and other components all geared toward fighting the growing crime of auto theft in Peel, the GTA and southern Ontario, and across North America, organizers say.