TORONTO — Scott Cresswell was behind the wheel of an unmarked white police truck as he drove across the Greater Toronto Area looking for compounds that might be used to hide stolen vehicles. The York Regional Police detective entered a crowded commercial zone in Mississauga, Ont., where dozens of cars were parked, scanning for suspicious signs.
He then drove to a neighbourhood outside the Halton Hills region, where a large, isolated home sat near farmland, surrounded by a fenced yard. After inspecting the property from the outside, Cresswell said he had strong reason to suspect it could be a “cool off” site where stolen vehicles are kept for a few days to ensure they aren’t being tracked. “That is the spot,” Creswell told his colleague over the phone.
“This is a dynamite spot.” The country has an auto theft problem so severe the Insurance Bureau of Canada has called it a “national crisis.” The issue is particularly acute in the Greater Toronto Area, where police forces have been refocusing efforts on tackling the situation.
In York Region, made up of nine communities north of Toronto, Cresswell’s unit of 10 officers is on the front lines of attempts to combat auto theft. The unit is tasked with surveillance, tracking and arresting suspects. The team also aims to return stolen vehicles to their owners.
While driving from site to site on a surveillance mission, Cresswell said dozens of criminal groups are involved in auto theft across southwestern Ontario,.