Toronto police are asking the public to be vigilant as a rash of break-ins continues to affect homes in the north end of the city.
Police held a news conference Saturday to draw attention to ongoing break-ins that have been occurring in a large area bordered by York Mills Road to the north, Eglinton Avenue to the south, Bathurst Street in the west and Bayview Avenue in the east.
The break-ins have been happening for years, but police want to advise homeowners in the area of how to protect themselves, as well as to be on the lookout for any suspicious behaviour as officers continue to investigate.
Homes in the predominantly affluent area have become a frequent target of three particular types of break-ins, police said.
"There are organized groups that are involved in this and we have identified them. We have made arrests in the past, and it's a continuing investigation," Toronto Police Insp. Tim Crone said.
Some incidents involve a group of thieves breaking in from the front of the home. Another group has been breaking in from backyards.
"They're going after high-end property items, electronics, jewelry," Crone said.
A third group has been targeting high-end vehicles, Crone added, often breaking into homes to steal the keys, then either taking the homeowners' cars immediately or returning to take the cars at a later date.
Toronto police are working with their colleagues in the York, Durham and Peel regions to monitor the whereabouts of a lengthy list of suspects. Some of the robbers have been hitting homes in the area on a daily basis, while Crone said others "float in and out of the area."
"We want to make the community more aware of things that they can be doing to assist us in both being preventative and also in providing information to our investigators after break and enters have occurred," Crone said.
Residents need to be aware of the items in their yards, police said, specifying that ladders had been used to reach open windows in the past. Police encouraged residents of the area to be as vigilant locking back doors and windows as they are with the doors and windows in the front of their homes.
The value of stolen goods has added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, police said. They have made arrests, but are still monitoring suspects as break-ins continue.
The aim of Saturday’s news conference was to direct community members to get involved when they see something suspicious. Police warned the public not to approach anyone suspicious, but asked them to take notes, jot down license plate numbers and other details and call 911.
