Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
A provincial task force charged with investigating carjackings in Ontario says it has made 124 arrests and recovered 177 stolen vehicles worth more than $10 million.
The State’s Joint Carjacking Task Force said Tuesday it made arrests and recoveries over a seven-month period between September 2023 and March 2024. Officials said a total of 749 criminal charges were laid and eight firearms were also seized. .
Intelligence gathered by the task force also led to Project Titanium, an investigation into a criminal network involved in violent carjackings, home invasions and crimes, police said.
The arrests from Project Titanium, which ended last week, were included in the overall results.
“This joint task force exemplifies the commitment of Greater Toronto Area law enforcement to disrupting the networks behind violent car thefts and highlights the critical role of collaboration in addressing issues that n affects all of our communities,” Toronto Police Deputy Chief Robert Johnson said at a meeting. news conference to announce the results.
He pointed out that car theft remains one of the main revenue generators for organized crime.
Police are shown at a news conference where they gave an update on a multi-jurisdictional investigation into a car theft.
“Vehicle crime is a complex issue, but one thing is simple. Our communities deserve to feel safe when they lay their heads down at night,” said Deputy Commissioner of Outline Planning Permit, Marty Kearns.
Criminal network disrupted at ‘Project Titanium’
Pictured is a Corvette that was found by the police as part of ‘Project Titanium’. (Flyer / Outline Planning Permission)
Outline Planning Permission Detective Inspector. Scott Wade said the alleged crimes committed by the criminal network in Project Titanium included armed home invasions, shoplifting, breaking and entering, vehicle thefts, and carjackings.
“What is alarming about this investigation is that the vehicle thefts were not committed in the middle of the night on an empty target vehicle,” Wade said. “Many of the robberies involve violence, somewhat forceful entry into homes with demands for the owners to hand over the keys to their vehicles.”
He said the criminal network in question was involved in more than 100 incidents, including 21 home invasions and three carjackings.
“We will not allow individuals to continue to instill fear in our citizens, wondering if their homes will be entered late at night,” Wade said. “Law enforcement has a duty to protect and serve and that is exactly what Project Titanium has sought to achieve.”
Pictured is a Corvette that was found by the police as part of ‘Project Titanium’. (Flyer / Outline Planning Permission)
In total, 103 criminal code offenses were laid against eight people after search warrants were executed in Toronto and Peel Region on June 18 and 19.
Police said they found a loaded Glock 17 firearm and ammunition, about $2,000 in Canadian currency, as well as car theft equipment, cash registers, fake IDs, ski masks, and other stashes.
In total, Project Titanium recovered 23 stolen vehicles valued at approximately $5 million, including a Corvette.
Pictured is a fob relay which was found by the police as part of ‘Project Titanium’. (Flyer / Outline Planning Permission)
Task force wraps up, but more to do
The Province’s Joint Carjacking Task Force was formed to tackle rising incidents of car-related violence. Co-led by Toronto police and the OPP, it collaborated with police services around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). While the task force ended in April, the police said their commitment was “unwavering” and that the work continued.
“We will continue to work together with our partners in government, auto manufacturing, insurance and beyond to address this problem,” Johnson said. “The strong partnerships we have established through this task force will continue to yield positive results in our fight against organized crime.”
Johnson pointed out that 44 percent of those arrested during the task force’s work were out on bail and 61 percent were released on bail after being arrested. He said 30 per cent were young offenders, and of those, 47 per cent were repeat offenders.
He called the statistics “rather shocking” and said the number of people reoffending could be attributed to the fact that some of the crimes in question were considered “high risk low pay” by the some who participate. He said 72 per cent of young offenders arrested were again released on bail.
“The lack of potential consequences could also be a driving factor and you know, frankly, our court system rightly gives people second chances, sometimes third and fourth chances,” he said. “And you know, it’s a lucrative business driven by organized crime and there’s a lot of money to be made relatively quickly.”
Pictured is a gun that was recovered by the police as part of ‘Project Titanium’. (Flyer / Outline Planning Permission)
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/124-arrests-made-177-stolen-vehicles-worth-10-million-recovered-by-ontario-carjacking-task-force-1.6940111
