Police warn midtowners of SUV thefts

Midtown car owners who have a Toyota, Lexus or Acura SUV in their driveway need to be vigilant in light of a spike in the number of thefts, police say.

Officers in 53 Division, which is bounded by Bloor Street north to Lawrence Avenue and the Don River west to Spadina Road, issued a public safety alert on April 9. By April 10, another four SUVs, all Acuras, had been stolen from driveways in the division.

Crime prevention officer Timothy Somers said thefts had dropped to “near zero” after a crackdown last year on a vehicle theft ring, but as of January they have jumped back up throughout the division, most prominently in the area from Bathurst to Yonge and from Lawrence to Eglinton.

“The pattern of theft of those specific vehicles is prominent enough that we have to advise the public about it,” he said. “It’s a significant enough number of SUVs of those types that have been stolen that it’s obvious that they are the target vehicles.”

Police have since canvassed the most affected area, leaving pamphlets for homeowners outlining theft prevention measures. Using a locked garage where possible, leaving spare keys in a safe place and parking another car behind the target vehicle so it can’t be moved are among the measures suggested.

The vehicles, all current models, have been taken from the driveways of homes. There have been no signs of damage at any of the scenes.

Police believe whoever is responsible is using an electronic device that can disarm vehicle security systems or start vehicles. Many newer models of vehicles use a digital code as a security measure with the ignition. Somers said the thief or thieves may have a device that can “search through all available codes” until it finds the one matching the SUV they intend to steal.

“They’re being very crafty in their ways of getting those specific cars,” he said.

Somers said he and community relations officer Alex Li should be contacted if anyone has any concerns or information.