‘A troubling issue of recidivism’: Durham police say auto thefts are down, but high rates of offenders on probation, bail

Durham police say that a year-long investigation into auto theft in the region has led to the laying of 341 charges against 81 people while contributing to an eight per cent decline in stolen vehicle reports.

However, they say that their work is being “undermined” by a “cycle of recidivism” being exhibited by suspects who continue to reoffend after being released on bail.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Chief Peter Moreira shared one such incident involved a suspect who was arrested after investigators located a programming device used for auto theft along with a stolen BMW SUV in Clarington. Moreira said this individual, who was on probation and out on bail for auto theft at the time, was held in custody for more than a month and eventually released following a guilty plea in October.

Weeks later, the same suspect was caught red-handed stealing a vehicle in Peel Region, he said. They are now facing, among other things, 16 counts of theft of a motor vehicle and 18 counts of breaching the terms of his probation. The accused remains in custody.

“This situation highlights a troubling issue of recidivism: the tendency of individuals to re-offend after being arrested or convicted of a prior crime,” Moreira said.

“This cycle of recidivism undermines our efforts to reduce crime and poses an ongoing risk to our community safety. It is deeply frustrating to see people who have been caught, charged, and convicted for previous crimes being allowed to walk free without facing consequences that would deter further criminal activity.”

Moreira said that since January 2023 about a quarter of those charged for auto thefts in the region have also been charged with failing to comply with a probation or release order.

“We are working closely with the courts and other enforcement agencies to address this issue and ensure those responsible for auto theft, especially repeat offenders, are held accountable,” he said, adding that they are advocating for closer monitoring for those released on bail or other conditions as well as stronger penalties for “those who continue to engage in criminal behaviour.”

“We are committee to doing everything in our power to combat auto theft and disrupt the cycle of recidivism,” he said.

Beyond enforcement, Moreira said DRPS is also focused on prevention and is offering the public a number of tips to reduce the chances of falling victim to auto theft.

DRPS launched auto theft unit a year ago

A year ago, DRPS received a $900,000 preventing auto thefts grant from the provincial government and launched a separate unit dedicated to auto theft.

Dubbed Project Attire, this unit came to be after auto thefts in Durham Region doubled between 2021 and 2023.

Since launching Project Attire, which is operated in collaboration with national insurance fraud prevention group Équité Association, police say they’ve conducted 865 auto theft investigations, resulting in the recovery of more than half of all stolen vehicles.

Regardless, three vehicles continue to be stolen in Durham every day, Moreira said.

Previously, an average of four vehicles were stolen each day in Durham – one every six hours.

Carjackings, meanwhile, are up 13 per cent so far in 2024 with 18 total incidents compared to 16 in the same time period last year.

“This number is still too high and we are working very hard to bring this number down even more,” Moreira said of auto theft more broadly.

A crime that is ‘hitting Durham region hard’

During the news conference, Graham McGregor, Ontario’s associate Minister of Auto Theft and Bail Reform, said auto theft is a crime that is “hitting Durham region hard” and “putting significant profits into the pockets of organized crime.”

He added that aside from allocating funding to Project Attire, the province is also providing money to DRPS for a new helicopter.

McGregor called on federal government to step up and strengthen laws for those who commit auto theft or carjackings, including bail reform.