These are Ottawa’s 10 worst neighbourhoods for car theft

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So far this year, car thefts in Ottawa are up by more than 70 per cent, with one south Ottawa suburb sticking out as a hot spot.

During the first six months of the year, 858 cars were reported stolen, compared to 504 during the same time period in 2023, according to Ottawa Police Service data, as shown on their crime map.

Statistics published on the map show 929 vehicles have been reported stolen so far in Ottawa in 2024.

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That breaks down to 71 car thefts in July alone, and 25 in the past 7 days.

Gloucester-Southgate has been the hardest hit by vehicle thefts so far in 2024, with 95 thefts reported, or nearly 10 per cent of all of the city’s vehicle thefts.

These are the top 10 car theft hot spots so far this year:

Bay ward on the city’s west side comes in a distant second with 68 vehicle thefts, followed by 59 vehicles stolen in Rideau-Vanier, 53 in Orléans East-Cumberland and 52 in River ward.

Rounding out the top 10 include Barrhaven West, with 50 thefts; Rideau-Rockcliffe with 48 vehicle thefts; Beacon Hill-Cyrville, where 47 cars have been stolen; and Alta Vista and Somerset, both where 44 vehicles have been stolen.

Ottawa police launched its open-source crime map last year, detailing where various crimes occur across the city, including car theft, assault, gun crimes and more. The locations of crime are pinpointed to the nearest road intersection, in order to further protect privacy, and all location data is considered an approximate location of the occurrence.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs said the police force participates in a joint task force with other agencies in Ontario, to stem the flow of stolen vehicles to ports in Montreal and Hamilton.

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“We have been part of not only provincial, but national effort to get a hold of this problem,” he said.

According to a report from Équité Association, a Canadian insurance crime and fraud prevention non-profit group, said auto theft fell nationally by 17 per cent in the first half of 2024, compared to the same time period in 2023. Auto thefts were down 14 per cent in Ontario and 36 per cent in Quebec, the report says, but Ottawa still bucks that trend, with vehicle thefts increasing year over year.

“Locally here, we’ve had a number of operations to locate stolen vehicles, stopped them and arrested them. Some gains are being made, for sure,” Stubbs said, “but we’re nowhere near where we need to be. It’s still a significant issue.”

Last year, Barrhaven was the vehicle theft capital of Ottawa, with about one in five car thefts occuring in the sprawling suburban neighbourhood some 25 km from the downtown core.

Last year, police said luxury SUVs and trucks are commonly stolen, but thefts aren’t limited to Lexuses and Toyotas. Cars with push-start buttons, including the Toyota Rav4, Honda CRV, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford F-series trucks have also been targeted.

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Police say thieves have been arrested with weapons such as stun guns, pepper spray or crow bars.

A press release from the OPS says in most vehicle thefts, the driver-side door is opened mechanically, and then thieves access the vehicle’s Engine Control Module (ECM) port to reprogram a new key.

Police say theft prevention measures include parking inside a garage if possible, blocking a vehicle in with a second, less sought-after vehicle.

In Toronto, it has been reported that people are going as far as installing retractable bollards in their driveways to prevent auto theft.

Anti-theft devices like clubs can be defeated by a determined thief, but it can still act as a deterrent, said Stubbs.

“Any time they have to work harder, that can deter,” he said. “Doing something is better than doing nothing.”

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