York Regional Police say 20 people are now facing more than 200 charges in connection with a rash of residential break-and-enters linked to “crime tourism.”
The charges, laid in connection with an investigation dubbed Project Dusk, were announced during a news conference on Thursday morning.
“(Project Dusk) was developed to combat a significant rise in break-and-enters that occur every year during the Daylight Saving Time in the fall,” Det.-Sgt. Pat Smyth told reporters Thursday.
“York Region and the GTA experience the cyclical increase due to a direct linkage to crime tourism. Latin American theft groups and Eastern European theft groups enter Canada… in the fall and return home to their countries in the spring after they have committed crime.”
Smyth said the suspects typically target residential homes between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., waiting for residents to leave to get groceries, go to family sports, head to the gym, or go out for dinner.
He said once the residents have left, some of the suspects use signal jammers to disable security systems, knocking out cellphone signals and Wi-Fi.
“A lot of the cameras that are set up by residents, it’ll defeat that,” Smyth said.
Police said suspects ransack homes, smashing windows and kicking in doors, before stealing a range of items, including jewelry, handbags, electronics, cash, and “priceless sentimental items.”
He said typically the suspects are in and out “in minutes.”
‘Our house was torn apart’
During an emotional statement, one of the victims of the break-and-enters told reporters about the “precious memories” of her late father that were stolen during a break-in at her home.
Her mother’s engagement ring, along with her mother and father’s wedding bands, were taken, she said.
“No amount of money could ever replace those things. They are reminders of love, of family, of a man who can never be replaced,” she said.
“No one actually understands what we are going through. No one understands what those stolen belongings meant to us… This feels like mourning him all over again.”
She said the incident has left her family shaken and uneasy in their own home.
“Our house was torn apart… Every single drawer emptied, every single piece of furniture overturned, every inch of our home violated,” she said.
“This is not just about stolen belongings. It is about the destruction of our sense of safety, our peace of mind, and the precious memories of my dad that will never be replaced.”
Smyth said six separate crime groups were disrupted and dismantled during the investigation.
In addition to the 20 suspects arrested in the case, police said one suspect remains outstanding.
