Toronto Police Service (TPS) has some new advice for vehicle owners: leave your car key fobs near your front door so thieves can steal them more easily.
TPS Constable Marco Ricciardi addressed residents gathered at the Etobicoke civic center concerned about the recent increases in thefts, according to CityNews.
“To prevent the possibility of being attacked in your home, leave your fobs at your front door, because they’re breaking into your home to steal your car. They don’t want anything else,” Ricciardi reportedly stated. “A lot that we’re arresting have guns on them. And they’re not toy guns, they’re real guns. They’re loaded.”
Canadian police have advice for car owners who keep their car keys locked inside the house. pic.twitter.com/UkH1TYm2c0
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“The sentiment behind the new advice is good, particularly in light of worries about potentially violent break-ins. Is it better to lose your car than potentially lose your life? I’d say so,” Phoebe Knight wrote for blogTO, approving of the constable’s advice. (RELATED: Canada Institutes Complete Ban On Handgun Sales)
Ricciardi’s advice is not the first time TPS has failed to discourage criminal activity.
In January, the Toronto Police Association, Toronto police officers’ union, ran a plea ad for budget increases on Twitter, announcing its inability to respond to emergency calls in under 22 minutes. “Almost 4,000 calls are placed to 911 every day and response times for police reached a staggering 22 minutes in 2023 and climbing. When seconds count, help us get there faster,” the video in the post said in part.
The ad met with heavy criticism for essentially informing criminals of a potential time frame where police will not be able to respond, as well as for implying a lack of law and order, blogTO reported.
Between 2022 and 2023, car thefts in Toronto rose almost 40%, according to CityNews. A vehicle is stolen every six minutes in Canada, a Canadian Finance and Leasing Association (CFLA) report found, blogTO reported. The costs of these thefts reportedly amount to over $700 million. (RELATED: Toronto Asks Trudeau Government For Total Handgun Ban In City)
“It’s become common, and we had to develop recommendations to address it,” Michael Rothe, the CFLA’s president and CEO, stated, according to the outlet. “Almost everyone I speak to has a story about vehicle theft and our latest report proves it.”
One Toronto woman who had her car window broken three times resorted to leaving a note informing potential thieves that the doors are already open, according to blogTO.
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“Dear Mr. Robber, please do not break my car window. The door is open. Have a great day,” she wrote.