The Ontario government says it plans to introduce new legislation that would give police the authority to search for and seize electronic devices intended to be used in the theft of vehicles.
The new legislation would amend the Highway Traffic Act to allow authorities the right to search for and seize FOB programming devices and scanners as well as smartphones with applications that can be used to steal a car.
Associate Solicitor General Zee Hamid told AM800’s The Shift with Patty Handysides that car thieves tend to be associated with organized crime.
“These thieves use these high-tech devices that allow them to enter and drive these keyless cars, and what this legislation will do is make more of these illegal,” Hamid said.
Hamid says that technology is advancing rapidly.
“Sometimes they don’t have to scan the FOB at all, they can just decrypt the car code, and enter the vehicles even without the FOB not being nearby,” he said.
The legislation would provide an exemption for the lawful use of these devices by auto dealers, repair services, and roadside assistance personnel.
The province has also announced it is making its auto theft prosecution response team permanent, with a focus on tackling crime in “hot spots” like Toronto, Ottawa, London, Brampton, Newmarket, Durham, and Windsor.
Since being founded in April 2024, the response team has taken on more than 80 prosecutions and provided legal advice on over 20 major investigations across the province in connection to 1,700-plus stolen or targeted vehicles.
Hamid says through combined efforts of law enforcement and government, vehicle thefts are decreasing in the province.
“Car theft went down 16 per cent last year,” he said. “We were just in Peel for an announcement, it’s down another 45 per cent the first quarter of this year, so we’re making progress but it’s not a one time thing, it’s something that we have to stay on top of. We have to stay one step ahead of these organized criminal organizations.”
Peel has been called the “auto theft capital of Canada” with the most cars stolen in the country per capita in 2023.
-With files from CTV News
