Ottawa police are noting a developing trend in the types of vehicles that are being targeted by thieves in the capital.
According to statistics provided to CTV News Ottawa, there were 96 confirmed vehicle thefts in June and police are noticing two models in particular.
“Tundras and Land Rovers are being targeted at significant rates over the past year, which appears to be a developing trend,” police said in an email.
The most stolen vehicles in Ottawa in June were:
- Toyota Tacoma
- Toyota Tundra
- Ford F-150
- Range Rover
- Land Rover Defender
- Jeep Wrangler
- Toyota RAV4
- Toyota 4Runner
Police said just over half of the 96 vehicles that were reported stolen from Ottawa driveways in June were recovered.
Motor vehicle theft statistics in 2024 include not only those vehicles stolen by organized crime groups for the purposes of shipping overseas, but also other forms of thefts, such as joyrides, thefts of opportunity, and vehicles that are stolen for use in other crimes.
“The OPS vehicle thefts stats continue to be analyzed, validated and finalized; and as such they are a moving target,” a police spokesperson said in an email.
Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs said this week that Ottawa’s proximity to Montreal makes it an appealing destination for criminals hoping to ship cars overseas, but frontline patrols are becoming more successful in stopping thieves before cars get to the port.
“An owner discovers their vehicle is missing, so they call us. We’ve been able to respond and get that vehicle back into that driveway within a couple of hours,” he said.