Ontario may let police seize car fob hacking tools in auto theft crackdown
Ontario is set to use its power over the rules of the road to try and drive a crackdown on thieves using electric devices to unlock and steal cars from people's driveways.
On Tuesday, the government announced it would be proposing changes to the Highway Traffic Act to allow police who stop vehicles to search for and seize electronic devices used in auto theft.
'By cracking down on these illegal devices, we're disrupting criminal activity and giving police the tools they need to stop thefts before they happen, helping keep our communities safe for everyone,' Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said in a news release.
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Police have been increasingly concerned about a trend in Ontario that has seen car thieves relying on various electronic devices to trick and trip car locks and ignitions.
For example, car thieves have used techniques including reading the radio frequency of key fobs lying in people's houses and magnifying them, and relaying them to vehicles to imitate a driver standing outside a car.
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New legislation set to be proposed this week — if passed — would allow police to search for and seize electronic items that might be used for those kinds of vehicle thefts.
Items police could look for include key fob programming devices, fob scanners and even some smartphone applications, the government said.
'This measure will support law enforcement in safeguarding our streets, and make it easier to stop car thieves in their tracks,' Zee Hamid, the associate minister of auto theft and bail reform, said in a statement.
Ontario is not responsible for the Criminal Code, which is governed by the federal government. It is able to make changes to the Highway Traffic Act, however, which governs driving violations settled in provincial offences courts.
The government said its new legislation would allow auto dealers, repair services and roadside assistance staff to use the electronic devices it would allow police to seize from other drivers.
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