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

York Regional Police is 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, YRP 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.

YRP has 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 YRP 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 YRP is stepping up patrols and increasing its presence throughout the region.

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.

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.

To combat the rise in carjackings, MacSween said YRP is creating its 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.