‘Middle-class safety is being eroded’: Violent break-ins changing Ontario communities

Violent home invasions are surging across the GTA as armed break-ins and youth gangs have surged, spiking demand for more security measures.

Amar Pathak thought it was her daughter coming home late.

But in fact, the sound of the garage door cracking open around 3 a.m. a few years ago wasn’t her child — it was a stranger searching for valuables with a flashlight.

“I was so scared just thinking about what if that guy had come into the house? What if the door had been unlocked?” Pathak, an Oakville, Ont., resident, told Global News.

“Now I hear every day someone’s home is broken into and gets hurt.”

While overall robberies in Ontario are finally on a slight downward trend for the first time in years, violent break-ins and home invasions with weapons are rising — and with them, the call for more security is too.

Police forces across Toronto, Peel, Durham and Halton are reporting a spike in residential break-ins involving weapons, often carried out by young offenders.

Police officials, security experts, and residents say the increased availability of illegal firearms, a lack of deterrence in the justice system and highly organized criminal groups are all fueling the crisis.

According to Toronto police data, the number of residential robberies was up 49.7 per cent in 2024 when compared with the year prior — the highest jump in recent years. When combined, there were more than 900 armed robberies in both years — almost double the numbers seen in 2022 and prior.