In an effort to combat auto theft, London police have come out with a new campaign that aims to educate the public while better tracking stolen vehicles.
Dubbed Project Safe Auto, the new initiative uses $900,000 the police service received over three years from the province's preventing auto thefts grant program. Through the project, police will ramp-up public awareness and education campaigns and step-up enforcement throughout the city.
"With this support, Project Safe Auto has been established to enhance our efforts to prevent, detect, and combat auto thefts in our community. Some of these initiatives are already underway, and others will be undertaken throughout the duration of Project Safe Auto," said Detective Inspector Alex Krygsman, head of the Investigative Services Branch.
The project has a four-pillar approach to address auto theft, involving awareness, analysis, enforcement, and technology. Police will also be using enhanced technology to help assist officers in detecting stolen vehicles, identifying vehicles of choice, high-risk areas of thefts, as well as offenders.
"Our goals are to prevent members of our community from becoming victims of auto theft, and to eliminate auto theft in our community through detection and enforcement, and by holding offenders accountable," said Krygsman.
As of this month, auxiliary officers will be out providing information to the public. Officers in the uniformed division have also commenced bail monitoring of high-risk offenders.
Auto thefts have been rising across the country and province at an alarming rate, police said. In 2023, more than 1,000 were reported stolen in London.
Last summer, two Londoners were among 23 people charged with a combined 279 offences after an investigation into a large string of auto thefts related to a sophisticated crime group. The probe involved 138 stolen vehicles including luxury cars, newer model pickup trucks and SUVs, all to be shipped overseas.
Police advise anyone who witnesses a crime in progress to call 911 and anyone with information about a stolen vehicle to call the non-emergency line at 519-661-5670.
