Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for inviting the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, or SPVM, to speak today. As the commanding officer of the investigation projects unit for the city's southern division, I am responsible for the SPVM's activities against vehicle theft.
As you know, vehicle theft is a problem that has become significantly worse in recent years. Montreal is one of the cities that has been hit hard. From 2020 to 2023, the number of theft cases increased by 147% in our territory, which is considerable. These thefts have a significant impact on the victims, both financially and in terms of their sense of safety. There is also a possible link between vehicle theft and gun violence. Suspects are often in possession of a firearm when they are arrested while perpetrating a theft or in the course of an investigation. Our intelligence and various investigations lead us to assume that they acquired these firearms with the significant profits generated by vehicle theft.
This situation has led us, as a police service, to review our ways of doing things and to put in place new strategies to curb this scourge. For example, from 2022 to January 2024, we collaborated on the Rechercher project with our partners at the SQ, the Sûreté du Québec. This investigation project allowed us to send a very clear first message to networks that specialize in exporting overseas, since 39 suspects were arrested and 565 stolen vehicles were recovered.
Still, the problem continued to grow. The shortage of new vehicles and the various breakdowns in supply chains that have not been resolved as a result of the pandemic created a situation where vehicle thefts remain very attractive to criminal organizations.
At the SPVM, our priority has always been to work with our partners. In 2022 and 2023, we continued to build on this approach, which has always produced excellent results. After discussing with our partners at the Canada Border Services Agency or CBSA, the SQ, the Ontario Provincial Police or OPP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP, and the Equity Association, we decided to pursue that approach further.
Theft rings move from one city to another and from one province to another. In order to destabilize them, we must be able to respond vigorously everywhere they operate. The National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft, held in February, confirmed to us that this strategy is the right one.
Just a month after the summit, we carried out a major operation as part of Operation Volcano. Together with the OPP, we arrested 34 vehicle theft suspects in Montreal to bring them to justice in Ontario. Operation Volcano gave us the opportunity to send another very clear message to criminals, which is that there is no border between our provinces and that, no matter where they are, we will arrest them. The arrested suspects were all residents of Quebec. They thought they could get away with stealing vehicles from our neighbours in Ontario. We showed them how wrong they were. This also allowed us to take our level of collaboration with the OPP to a new level. For weeks, our investigative teams worked together in the same premises. We had never seen such close collaboration between our two organizations before.
Closer collaboration between the SPVM, the OPP, the CBSA, the RCMP, the SQ and the Équité Association group has also produced very concrete results as part of Project Vector at the Port of Montreal. This joint project on the ground, which is ongoing, demonstrates the significant strength derived from our collaboration. Between December 2023 and April 3, 2024, nearly 600 stolen vehicles were intercepted at the Port of Montreal.
All these operations, which affect both the bottom and the top of the pyramid, weaken the criminal element. They also undermine the sense of impunity that had gradually taken hold in this environment.
At the SPVM, we also take action against these theft rings with our own investigation projects. For example, last February we disbanded an organization that specializes in stealing vehicles for resale abroad. Nine suspects were arrested and 55 stolen vehicles were recovered. Not a day goes by without our patrol officers on the ground arresting suspects. Also, prevention is key, so we have appeared a lot in the media and have been doing outreach activities in the community.
Our most recent statistics show a 30% drop in vehicle thefts in Montreal in the first quarter of 2024. It is obviously too early to call that a durable trend. However, I think it is the result of a combination of efforts by all partners involved, including police operations and public prevention.
However, in spite of good news, we should not forget that criminal groups are able to adapt. Vigilance and a proactive and agile approach with our partners remain essential if we want to continue reducing these criminal organizations' activities. In order for the reduction to be durable, we must keep up our efforts and continue working together from a national perspective.