Carjackings, gun crime on the rise in York Region, police say

Police in York Region are reporting an increase in violent crimes this year, including carjackings, shootings and homicides, the police chief said Tuesday.

There's been a 92 per cent increase in shootings in the region this year compared to the same time last year, with 46 so far, York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween told reporters at a news conference Tuesday. The number of carjackings has increased by 106 per cent compared to last year, with 46 since January, MacSween said. 

There have also been 15 homicides in the region this year, with five since July 25, MacSween said, all of which were targeted. He said that's up from eight this time last year.

Police have been investigating two separate high-profile homicides this month involving the alleged abduction and murder of two Markham women, Ying Zhang and Yuk-Ying Mui. Both women went missing under suspicious circumstances, and their bodies were later found in rural areas outside York Region. 

"For our residents and our officers, this is definitely distressing," MacSween said.

MacSween said the region "remains very safe," but the force is "committed to finding justice and restoring a sense of safety in the community."

He said most of these violent crimes are taking place in the three southernmost cities in York Region — Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham, which border the northern edge of Toronto. He said police are stepping up patrols and increasing its presence throughout the region.

Police say more crimes involve firearms, blame organized crime

Police are seeing more crimes involving firearms in the region, MacSween said. 

Organized crime rings are responsible for the surge, he said, as well as the increases in carjackings and violence in the tow truck industry. Some tow truck companies are resorting to gun violence and arson to threaten business rivals, MacSween said.

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He said most guns involved in crimes are illegal firearms, many of them brought into Canada from the United States by organized crime.

"I'll continue to invest the resources necessary to combat violent and organized crime to ensure that the residents of the York Region are not only kept safe, but they also feel safe," he said.

New carjacking task force announced

To combat the rise in carjackings, MacSween said police are creating their own dedicated carjacking task force. Police are also launching an education campaign to encourage car owners to better protect themselves and their vehicles. Both are set to launch in September.

On top of the year-on-year increase, MacSween said carjackings in the region have increased 400 per cent since 2019.

While carjackings are up, MacSween said auto theft in general is down 33 per cent in the region compared to this time last year.

Hate crimes are up slightly, MacSween said, increasing four per cent from last year. That's compared to a 55 per cent increase in hate crimes in Toronto this year, which Toronto police have said began to increase after the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.