Niagara police are sounding the alarm on auto thefts, pointing to a significant rise in Southern Ontario.
The department says stolen vehicles have increased 33 per cent in the Niagara Region alone since 2019.
Police say auto theft steadily increased from 2020 to 2022 before spiking in 2023 to a record high of 852 — so far this year, there have been 467, and it’s only July.
The department says several factors contribute to the increase, but it mainly points to a stall in the manufacturing process following the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created a shortage of parts and vehicles.
On Thursday, the department said it would begin offering free Faraday bags to residents in the region in an effort to prevent criminals from spoofing wireless signals from their key fobs.
“Today we’re announcing members of the public can visit our facilities in the Niagara Region where they will receive a Faraday bag, that they can use to prevent the signal being captured from auto thieves when they’re in their homes or place of work,” Const. Phil Gavin said.
“The bags are free, and the bags really aren’t that big, they’re about less than the size of your hand, so they’re pretty compact and can be kept wherever is comfortable for their owner.”
