Toronto Police Offers Odd Suggestion To Avoid Home Invasions

Finding new and innovative ways to combat crime in our cities is a constant battle that politicians and law enforcement face.

Protecting the people of a municipality is one of the primary functions of local government, and officials often receive criticism from their constituents when they fail to do so.

That is precisely what's happening in Canada's largest city as one officer from the Toronto Police Department makes a very unusual suggestion to help stop a home invasion if it happens.

READ MORE: Remember The Rochester Fast Ferry in Western New York?

According to Global News, in March 2024, Toronto Police Constable Marco Ricciardi attended a community meeting in the Greater Toronto Area borough of Etobicoke. At the meeting, he suggested that residents should leave their car keys near the front door to prevent a home invasion.

To prevent the possibility of being attacked in your home, leave your fobs at your front door... They’re breaking into your home to steal your car. They don’t want anything else... A lot of them that they’re arresting have guns on them and they’re not toy guns, they’re real guns. They’re loaded...
-Marco Ricciardi, Toronto Police

According to City News in Toronto, the constable made that comment during a community meeting of concerned citizens, as crime rates all over Toronto have been rising over the last few years.

READ MORE: New Yorker Is Shocked By Cost Of Living In Toronto, Ontario

According to data released by the Toronto Police Department, auto thefts and home invasions have increased by more than 400% in the last year, which is cause for serious concern. A deeper dive into the Toronto Police Services Public Safety Data Portal shows that most of their Major Crime Indicators show year-over-year increases.

Needless to say, the Toronto Police Department has been getting slammed by Ontario residents, as this odd advice doesn't address the increase in crime happening around Toronto. The New York Post has several examples of angry tweets and other social media messages showing people venting their frustration.

Maybe instead of leaving your keys at the front door, we should leave them in the car?