Police investigating string of Toyota thefts in Welland and Pelham

Police are investigating a string of Toyota Highlander thefts in the Niagara Region and are warning residents who own the same make and model to safeguard their vehicles.

On Friday (June 17), the Niagara Regional Police Service say there have been five Highlander SUVs stolen from residential driveways within the last 24 hours.

Four Highlanders have been reported stolen from Welland, and another SUV from Pelham.

In some cases, the vehicles were left locked, and the key fobs secured inside the residence.

The thefts have led police to issue a warning to members of the public who own Toyota Highlanders to take extra precautions, including:

• Using a personalised GPS tracker for their vehicle
• Strategically parking the vehicle in a well lit, busy area with good video camera surveillance
• Motion lighting
• The use of physical barriers such as gates, garages, fences, or another parked vehicle
• Turning off Keyless Entry
• Putting on a steering wheel lock
• Engaging a vehicle wheel clamp
• Using a Blocking Pouch

“A blocking pouch prevents remote access to your key fob,” police said in a release. “The fob’s radio frequency is isolated, and transmission of the frequency is prevented thanks to the pouch’s metallic lining. These simple, small, and cheap pouches fit most key fobs.”

Anyone with information about these incidents are asked to contact Niagara Regional Police at (905)-688-4111, option 3, extension 1009221.

You can also provide information anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers of Niagara by calling 1-800-222-8477 or visiting CrimestoppersNiagara.ca.

Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information which leads to an arrest.