Representatives from the Halton Regional Police Service made a presentation to town councillors on April 19 to share interesting Oakville stats, stories and successes from 2020. Here are some of the highlights.
Fewer property crimes in 2020
The odds are good that your house wasn't broken into last year. It might be because you rarely left the place, but hey, COVID-19 has to be good for something.
While police say the pandemic probably impacted property crime in 2020, statistics show a big drop in reported crime in most categories. Residential break-ins in Oakville were down 45 percent (114 compared to 204 in 2019). Commercial break-ins dropped 35 percent, robberies were 23 percent lower, and thefts from automobiles dropped by 25 percent.
Auto relay thefts
Although the overall number of car thefts dropped by six percent in 2020, police are seeing an increase in the number of auto relay thefts.
Criminals scout out vehicles equipped with keyless push-start technology, then use a signal relay device to pick up the frequency of a vehicle key fob inside the house, explained Oakville Det. Sgt. Ron Wright. That frequency is then transmitted to a blank key fob, allowing thieves access to your car.
The theft happens quickly, with criminals typically targeting Lexus, Land Rover, Toyota and increasingly, Ford F150 trucks, said Wright.
“When we review the CCTV footage, it typically is a minute or less from when they arrive until they leave with your vehicle.”
A team of Halton officers is now working on this emerging trend. Earlier this month, they were involved in the arrest of five men from Quebec who were stealing cars throughout the GTA.
To prevent auto relay thefts, police suggest parking push-start cars in the garage, blocking them in with other vehicles or installing an aftermarket anti-theft device like a club or plug on your car when parked.
Prevention is the best medicine
It's an adage that’s true of most crimes, but particularly of scams aimed at seniors.
Isolated older adults are often targeted with fraudulent scams, including the common tax repayment, tech support, and grandchild-in-trouble rackets.
Scammers typically ask for payment in bitcoin or gift cards, making it difficult to trace the funds once they are paid.
With a focus on education and prevention, Halton police regularly share information about these scams with organizations that work with older adults, said Wright.
“We follow up on each one of these (reports) with the hopes that it’s actually local; however, a lot of these scams are embedded overseas,” he said. “But by the time you get down the rabbit hole, what you find is that you’re now into international bank accounts and you kind of come to the end of the road investigatively.”
Force working on equity, diversity and inclusion issues
In 2020, the Halton police service expanded its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion with the development of an office staffed by a full-time sergeant who oversees initiatives aimed at engaging Halton’s diverse community and increasing the capacity of the service’s members, said Superintendent Jeff Sandy.
There are many good reasons to focus on equity, diversity and inclusion in the service, he said.
“From a performance perspective to a talent acquisition perspective, but really, we know it’s the right thing,” he said. “It’s the right thing to produce a high-performing environment where people feel accepted, they are open to different ideas, to change management and to all the things we believe equity, diversity and inclusion help embrace.”
Training initiatives are currently underway for members of the force, while internal support networks are in place to assist Black, female and LBGTQ employees.
According to the police chief, the Halton force is currently 23 percent female. He suggested that 30 percent by 2030 might be a good target.
“We continue to look at our own internal makeup from a gender perspective, as well as from a diversity perspective,” Chief Tanner said.
“We are not at the level we wish we would see on either of these at this point, but certainly our recruits that have been hired over the last three, four, five years are more diverse and are more gender-balanced.”
Tanner added that his Chief’s Diversity Forum is “robust and well-developed,” with representatives from many of Halton's diverse groups.
He also noted the importance of improving the ranks' diversity, so people see themselves represented in the force.
Photo radar
Speeding cars will be a hot topic of conversation this fall when town council considers how to implement its decision to drop speed limits on local and minor collector roads to 40 km/h.
Town staff have also been asked to report on the possibility of implementing photo radar – officially known as automated speed enforcement.
While council will debate the costs and benefits of cameras to issue speeding and red-light tickets, Police Chief Stephen Tanner is a big fan.
“Photo radar is much more than a tax grab, in my view,” he told councillors on Monday night. “I think it is a legitimate contender to make the community safer. If people are fearful of getting a photo radar ticket and they slow down, I think that’s great.”
what3words
When a hiker in a remote area of north Halton recently stumbled across a discarded firearm, she called the police.
But directing officers to the gun was problematic because she didn’t know exactly where she was, according to Chief Tanner.
After dispatchers talked her through downloading an app called what3words, they were able to find her precise location.
The app, available through the Apple and Google Play stores, has assigned three unique words to each 3 m square section of earth. According to its website, the goal is to make locations easy to say and share and as accurate as GPS coordinates.
Tanner suggested it is a “tremendously valuable tool” that police could use to help find people lost in remote areas.
“We can track you for safety, for health and safety, and for medical concerns,” he said.