New Toronto investigative unit will probe organized crime, starting with carjackings
Toronto police say that a new investigative unit tapped with addressing organized crime will formally begin operations this week with an initial focus on a rash of violent carjackings which have taken place across the city.
The Organized Crime Investigative Support Team will be made of investigators from different ranks across the Toronto Police Service, as well as civilian support staff.
The unit will focus on “city-wide major crime activity where the investigative scope exceeds the resources of local divisions or has links to organized crime,” according to police. It is being funded with an investment of $2.3 million that was reallocated during the service’s budget process earlier this year.
“We are reassigning officers to this team to enhance our specialized investigative capacity so we can adapt and address current increases in crime, including auto theft and carjackings. The latter of which can put residents in harm’s way when a weapon is used,” Chief James Ramer said in a news release
The launch of the new investigative unit comes in the wake of a series of carjackings in the city, including one targeting Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner outside an Etobicoke movie theatre last week.
There was also another carjacking in the city on Tuesday night.
This one took place in the Leaside Park Overlea Boulevard area and involved two suspects who were reportedly armed with firearms.
So far this year there have been 94 carjackings in Toronto compared to 102 in all of 2021.
Mayor John Tory has previously called the spike in carjackings a “plague” on the city and has said he is supportive of Ramer doing whatever is necessary to bring those responsible to justice.
“You got to fight back against this. These are organized criminals and they are people that are engaged in brazen behaviour that does put the safety of citizens at risk,” he told reporters last week.
Police have said that 39 arrests in relation to carjackings have been made so far this year, with most of those suspects linked to multiple occurrences.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.