The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is reporting a large spike in vehicles recovered with the aid of third-party tracking devices.

History of Project Oxygen

Project Oxygen was launched in May 2023 as a partnership between the HRPS and local auto dealerships encouraging residents to place third-party trackers (such as an Apple Air Tag, Tile, Galaxy Smart Tag or Atuvos) in well-hidden locations within their respective vehicles.

Tracker tools utilize technology to relay the location of a stolen vehicle to its rightful owner. Armed with this information, police are in a better position to recover the vehicle and make an arrest(s).

The key to success is the location of the aftermarket tracker in the automobile. While a thief may become aware of the presence of an aftermarket tracker, a well-hidden device or one placed in a difficult location to access, may give police valuable time to locate the stolen vehicle or cause the thieves to abandon the stolen vehicle. 

Outreach and Collaboration

In order to build momentum and showcase the value of a well-hidden aftermarket tracker, the project team connected directly with the following dealerships who agreed to install an aftermarket tracker:

  • Budds’ Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC
  • Budds’ Imported Cars Jaguar Land Rover
  • Lexus of Oakville
  • Oakville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
  • Milton Chrysler Dodge Limited
  • Milton Toyota
  • South Oakville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
  • Oakville Honda
  • Oakville Toyota
  • Powerhouse of Milton
  • Wallace Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC (Milton)
  • Leggat Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC (Burlington)

Results

As a result of Project Oxygen, 285 third-party tracking devices were installed at local Halton Region Dealerships and 86 vehicles with a value of approximately $6.4 million were recovered via the use of third-party tracking devices.

This represents an increase of 350 percent when compared to 2022 vehicle recoveries. As the HRPS continues to focus its efforts to curb auto theft, Project Oxygen is set to continue into 2024.

The HRPS is allocating significant resources to investigate auto theft occurrences. Please call 911 if you witness a crime in progress or if you see suspicious persons/vehicles in your neighbourhood.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. "See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers" at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

Media Inquiries:

Halton Regional Police Service
Media Relations
905-825-4899
Email: corpcomm@haltonpolice.ca