Thousands of residents receive free auto theft prevention fob bags

Thousands of York Region residents have taken advantage of the offer of free auto-theft prevention Faraday bags from York Regional Police, temporarily emptying the district stations of the give-away.

"The community’s response to work together with York Regional Police in an effort to prevent vehicle thefts has been astounding. Thousands of Faraday bags have been distributed and because of the overwhelming success of this operation, we have temporarily run out of bags," the force said in a news release.

More of the bags — that block electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by keyless entry systems — have been ordered and they are expected to be available this upcoming week, police said

On launching last week a multi-faceted crime prevention campaign targeting high-end auto thefts dubbed Operation Auto Guard, the availability of the bags was also announced.

The campaign includes data-driven solutions, targeted community engagement and giving free crime prevention tools to help citizens avoid becoming victims of vehicle theft, police said.

"York Regional Police has seen an almost 50 per cent increase in vehicle thefts compared to this time last year and compared to 2019, we’re on pace for a staggering increase of approximately 200 per cent," police said. "This year alone, close to 3,300 vehicles have been stolen so far."

"We would like to thank the community for all your enthusiasm, continued support and patience while we replenish our police districts with Faraday bags. Together, we will deter auto thefts."