While auto thefts may have dropped across Canada in the first half of 2025, police in one part of the province are working to ensure that downward trend continues.

On Wednesday, police in York Region announced the launch of their third annual auto theft campaign.

Known as Operation Auto Guard 3.0, police say it will see officers conduct enforcement, engage with the community, and educate people on effective crime prevention strategies.

From now until mid-November, police say they will once again be using data to identify and track hot spots in the region for vehicle theft with officers conducting enforcement and education efforts in those areas. So far, the south end of the region has been highlighted as an area of note and police will be distributing literature there.

Const. James Dickson Oct.1 Const. James Dickson, of York Regional Police, speaks with CP24 on Oct. 1.

“We know areas where people have high-end cars. We know where the high-end vehicles and the commonly stolen vehicles are kept and we also know where thieves are typically going to find these cars, whether it’s parking lots or high-end residential areas. We’re able to essentially just use stats to try and predict these crimes before they happen, to make sure that we’re in the right place at the right time,” Const. James Dickson, of York Regional Police (YRP), told CP24 on Wednesday afternoon.

“Essentially, we’re looking at where cars are being stolen, what neighbourhoods within a kilometer radius of where these vehicles are being stolen. We’re able to put uniform officers as well as plainclothes officers in and around these regions.”

Campaign aims to empower citizens: police

In a news release, YRP said this multi-pronged approach ensures “our citizens are empowered with the tools and knowledge to keep themselves and their vehicles safe.”

Police say from Jan. 1 to Sept. 1, there has been a 34 per cent reduction in vehicle thefts in York Region compared to the same time in 2024. Last year, police reported a 31 per cent decline in vehicle thefts compared to 2023.

“While we’re really pleased to be announcing year after year that the auto thefts are going down, the reality is cars are still being stolen in York Region, which is why we’re continuing to have this project moving forward,” Dickson said, crediting Équité and the Canadian Border Services Agency for their role in this effort.

He added that YRP have also recently introduced CCTVs and automatic license plate readers, which will also help in their efforts to stop auto theft.

In 2024, the force’s anti-auto theft campaign, known as Operation Auto Guard 2.0, resulted in the recovery of 15 vehicles, worth approximately $487,000, with 17 people charged with 127 combined offences, police said.

The year before, police arrested 56 people, who were charged with more than 300 auto theft-related offences as part of their auto theft campaign. Eighty vehicles worth more than $5 million were also recovered. Investigators said the efforts of that initial effort were focused on disrupting organized crime groups who were stealing and shipping vehicles overseas.

Dickson said their efforts have also targeted large-scale stolen vehicle importers, adding that while not as many people are being charged, those who are apprehended are “arguably more important people in the industry.”

W5 auto theft fob generic W5 correspondent Jon Woodward holds a generic car key fob discovered in one of the stolen vehicles.

As part of their ongoing anti-auto theft efforts, YRP say they’ve also handed out more than 30,000 Faraday bags across the region at district stations, traffic stops, and various community events. These devices block electromagnetic fields preventing key fobs from being cloned.

“That initiative, and many others over the past two years, have had a significant impact on the number of auto thefts in York Region,” police said.

Dickson, meanwhile, is urging residents to visit YRP’s community safety data portal to learn more about the types of vehicles that are most commonly stolen in the region and where.

YRP say their Operation Auto Guard 3.0 crime prevention efforts will continue into early next year.