Border security key to combating GTA auto theft: automakers | Crime | toronto.com

In June 2024, the federal government announced deployment of a mobile X-ray scanner to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as part of the National Action Plan Combatting Auto Theft. The technology is expected to help Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) increase examination of shipping containers in the GTA, where law enforcement has intercepted hundreds of stolen vehicles being shipped overseas.

Brian Kingston is president and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association.

Driven to Steal: What is Fuelling Auto Theft in the GTA is a series of articles about who and what is behind this increasingly concerning crime wave, response to rising incidents, and the cost to our wallets and public safety.

Border security rather than vehicle security features is the key to combating auto theft in Canada, a group representing automakers says.

Brian Kingston, president and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, said automakers design vehicles with systems to deter theft and "continually improve the security features of new vehicles."

Since 2007, automakers have also been mandated to install in every vehicle sold in Canada an engine immobilizer, which prevents the engine from starting if an unauthorized key is used.

But Kingston said the rate of vehicle theft has grown much faster in Canada than in the United States since 2020. "And that's despite the fact that we have stronger theft deterrent regulatory requirements here in Canada, the immobilizer being the obvious example."

So what's driving the higher auto theft rate in Canada?

Kingston argues it's not about the vehicle anti-theft technology.

"What we've seen is that organized crime groups have targeted the Canadian market because there is an ability to move these vehicles out of Canada through our ports, where we simply do not have the ability to effectively investigate and inspect the containers leaving Canadian ports," he said. "Canada is now on the map for these transnational crime groups globally, and a lot of resources are being deployed here to try to steal vehicles and move them out of the market, so we've been calling on government to really do more to strengthen our border."

Kingston stressed the vehicle security landscape is constantly evolving with manufacturers monitoring threats and then developing new strategies to enhance security.

"They work with regulators, law enforcement (and) insurance companies to try to understand how these organized crime groups are tampering with and transporting these stolen vehicles," he said, adding manufacturers assist in both the investigation and recovery of stolen autos.

"When a vehicle is stolen, there's the ability to track where that vehicle is going, assuming that the thief has not identified where those trackers are located and removed them, so automakers will collaborate with law enforcement to try to track and recover the vehicle."

As for the specific anti-theft systems being deployed, Kingston said they aren't publicly disclosed because "security and secrecy is critical to keeping those systems from being tampered with and ultimately overcome."

But some information is available for consumers, and Kingston agrees that they should consider a vehicle's anti-theft measures when making a vehicle purchase.

"You'll see all sorts of information that a dealership and a manufacturer will share with respect to some of their anti-theft systems, of course without getting into in-depth detail around how those systems are designed and where they're located," he said. "That's absolutely something that a consumer should ask about and consider when they're buying a new vehicle."

In June, 2024, the federal government deployment of a mobile X-ray scanner to the Greater Toronto Area. The technology will help increase examination of shipping containers in Ontario.

Kingston said it's been a "constant challenge to stay one step ahead" of the crime groups.

"These groups are securing $40,000 to $80,000 per vehicle that they steal and get into a foreign market," he said. "So the first thing that needs to happen is we need far more resources for the Canada Border Services Agency so that they can invest in personnel and container imaging machines (and) remote VIN verification technologies."

Peel Regional Police Det. Greg O'Connor of the commercial auto crime bureau said the region is still experiencing a large number of vehicle thefts, mainly between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

"A number of vehicles are being stolen throughout the night and driven directly to Montreal rather than a lot of the cool-out locations that were generally utilized before within the Greater Toronto Area," he said in an interview. "It seems that by the time some people wake up in the morning, and if they do have a tracking device on the vehicle, it's already found to be in Montreal."

The stolen vehicles are typically loaded into containers at different locations in Montreal and then directed to the port, according to police.

"Unfortunately, we're seeing that with the arrests and projects that we're doing, as we're dismantling one group, another one seems to be popping up because it is such a lucrative market right now," O'Connor said.

Video of attempted and successful vehicle entries.

Police are also seeing nighttime residential break-ins for keys for some high-end vehicles that have better security features, said O'Connor.

Kingston said that as vehicle thieves encounter vehicle systems they can't overcome, their next avenue is carjacking or residential break-ins.

"So again, it all points back to the root cause of this issue, which is the fact that Canada does not have the policies in place to stop this activity, so no matter what a manufacturer deploys, if we are completely open to allowing stolen vehicles to move out of this country, it will create a huge incentive for thieves to do whatever it takes to steal these vehicles."

O'Connor said police are collaborating with automakers to combat vehicle theft, noting there have been successes.

"We are working with some manufacturers (such) that after a vehicle is recovered, they're coming and analyzing that vehicle, checking the software (and) identifying how that vehicle is being stolen," he said. "And some manufacturers have done some good security updates through that, and we're seeing a major decline with some of them, eliminating the theft aspect of their product."

That collaboration is critical, said Kingston, adding learning how a vehicle's anti-theft system was overcome and what tools were used "can be invaluable for automakers" as they look for ways to improve vehicle security systems.

"There are security teams that analyze this activity (and) try to understand how thieves are getting past systems," he said. "Nobody wants to have a vehicle consistently stolen and listed on the top 10 stolen vehicle list, so automakers take this extremely seriously, but we are only one part of the solution."