Toronto residents are grappling with the reality of a pervasive car theft problem. Every six minutes, a vehicle is stolen in Canada, as per the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association (CFLA), which also highlighted that car theft has escalated so much so that it results in an annual cost of nearly $1 billion to the nation. However, amid this, a constable of the police service, responsible for investigating and preventing car theft, is now seen giving bizarre advice to the city residents.
While advising residents on how to handle the increasing car theft problem, Toronto Police Service (TPS) Constable Marco Ricciardi, at a community safety meeting in Etobicoke, suggested car owners leave keys at the front door.
He stated, “To prevent the possibility of being attacked in your home, leave your fobs at your front door, because they’re breaking into your home to steal your car. They don’t want anything else.”
These words may confuse certain people. Notably, if reports are to be believed the comments were only verbal and there is no official statement that concedes with the suggestion passed by the constable of the law enforcement agency.
In order to steal cars, the criminals break into the houses to get the car keys, and this could pose a threat to public safety and may result in property damages, such as a break-in through a window.
While the intention behind this advice seemed to mitigate these potentially violent confrontations during break-ins, it is not understood how effective the constable’s advice might be. Despite the ambiguity, some individuals have already adopted similar tactics. One resident reportedly left notes on their vehicles to deter thieves from damaging their cars. The note read that the car is unlocked.
Previous controversial messaging by the Toronto Police
This new bizarre advice is followed by previous controversial messaging from the Toronto Police, including a campaign where the law enforcement agency disclosed response times to criminals. “Since 2010, response times for Toronto Police have increased by 92 percent to a staggering 22 minutes,” read a campaign website of the police.
(With inputs from agencies)
