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TPS launches Organized Crime Investigative Support Team, budget 2022 commitment

May 25, 2022, Toronto, Ont. – The Toronto Police Service is taking a targeted response to emerging crime trends including carjackings.

As announced earlier this year as part of the Service’s 2022 Budget, the Service reallocated approximately $2.3 million and is redeploying some police officers to form a new team dedicated to addressing organized crime. This Organized Crime Investigative Support Team will begin operations this week.

Made up of investigators from different ranks and civilian support staff, the team will focus on citywide major crime activity where the investigative scope exceeds the resources of local divisions or has links to organized crime. This includes carjackings, auto thefts, kidnappings and other organized crime that falls outside the mandate of the Service’s other established investigative units.

The team will work with police partners from across the province and is already supporting the Service’s efforts to investigate a recent rash of carjackings bringing this year’s total to 94, compared with 102 in all of 2021.

More than 39 arrests have been made to date, which can be linked to multiple incidents.

Chief Ramer added, “We are reassigning officers to this team to enhance our specialized investigative capacity so we can adapt and address current increases in crime including auto theft and carjackings.  The latter of which can put residents in harm’s way when a weapon is used.”