Leave your car keys at your front door so car thieves don't hurt you, Toronto Police tell residents. Backlash is brutal.

Toronto Police told residents to leave their car keys at their front doors for thieves to take in order to lessen the risk of getting physically attacked in their homes for them, City News Toronto reported — and the backlash to the jaw-dropping suggestion has been brutal.

What are the details?

The outlet said Cst. Marco Ricciardi advised residents at an Etobicoke safety meeting last month to leave their key fobs in faraday pouches in convenient places for thieves to take in order to lessen the risk of physical violence over the fobs.

“To prevent the possibility of being attacked in your home, leave your fobs at the front door because they are breaking into your home to steal your car; they don’t want anything else," Ricciardi said, according to City News Toronto. "A lot of them that they’re arresting have guns on them, and they are not toy guns. They are real guns. They’re loaded.”

The outlet said Toronto Police were trending Thursday on X with "thousands of tweets on the topic, most of them expressing anger."

“This is bizarre,” one commenter wrote, according to the outlet. “Toronto Police advising the public to leave your fobs near the door. They suggest this because invaders are primarily entering homes to steal your cars. Why not hang your keys outside the door? Or better yet, just leave them in the car.”

City News Toronto said another user added, “This is failed state-level insanity. Hey guys do you mind making it easier for people to steal your cars so that they won’t break into your house instead? Thanks.”

Here are some other reactions:

• "Canada is gone," one commenter said.
• "The entire planet has gone bats**t WOKE crazy," another user declared.
• "The Ottawa Police are useless The [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] are compromised. The Toronto Police are corrupted. The Supreme Court are woke. Canada is in real trouble," another commenter said.

Rebel News founder Ezra Levant pulled no punches, either:

The outlet noted that Toronto-area car thefts increased by nearly 25% in 2023 over the previous year, while auto theft-motivated home invasions and break-and-enters rose 400% in 2023.

What's the latest from Toronto Police?

Toronto Police on Wednesday addressed last month's "well meaning" suggestion and offered more advice, City News Toronto reported.

"Police are concerned about an escalation in violence where all sorts of weapons and firearms are being used to steal vehicles, and that includes during home invasions," police said, according to the outlet, adding that they offered the following suggestions:

• Park vehicles in a garage if possible
• Ensure your driveway is well-lit and keep exterior lights on all night
• Security cameras are an asset
• If possible, install a home-security system — activate alarm on STAY when home and AWAY when out
• Consider connecting a motion-detection alarm to your cell phone
• Put security film on glass windows and doors
• Place multipoint locks on your doors
• Keep backyard gates locked and ground windows secured
• Do not post on social media when you will be away on holiday
• Report to police suspicious vehicles/persons in the neighborhood

Toronto Police spark controversy with new advice for car ownersyoutu.be

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