See more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred Source
As clocks go back this weekend, York Regional Police has announced Project Fallback, running from Friday until March 1, in an effort to thwart residential break-ins in Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham as the sun sets earlier.
Cops say break-and-enters often occur between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., with November and December continuing to see the highest number of break-ins in the region compared to other months of the year.
“Project Fallback is designed to disrupt that pattern through a two-pronged approach, focusing on education and prevention,” said York Regional Police Chief Paulo Da Silva at a Friday morning press conference at YRP headquarters.
“We are empowering our residents with practical tools and information to help them protect their homes and neighbourhoods while our officers work behind the scenes leveraging data to target the areas where criminals frequent.”
Da Silva wants residents, working with the region’s 150 neighbourhood watch groups, to report suspicious behaviour by using a newly created portal where they can submit any video evidence from home surveillance cameras, dashcams and phones.
“Our message is simple,” Da Silva said. “If someone appears to be doing something suspicious, call us. We are ready to respond.”
Da Silva said “specifically and strategically selected” neighbourhoods will notice an increased police presence, with officers conducting proactive patrols. The service has also expanded its use of CCTV cameras, automated licence plate readers and drones.
“These efforts are working,” he said. “This year and over the past three years, we have seen break-and-enter incidents drop steadily (by 25% in 2026). But now is not the time to let our guard down. Criminals will know when they’re planning on coming into our region to target our homes, they are making a big mistake.”
York Region saw 1,511 break-and-enters in 2023, 1,480 in 2024, 1,469 in 2025, and 786 so far in 2026 .
“(When) the days get darker, we see the criminals take advantage of that and break into homes and steal valuable items like jewellery, electronics, purses and designer clothes,” said York Regional Police Supt. Blair Steer at the press conference.
“During the fall and winter months, we know that these organized groups travel to Canada specifically to commit these types of crimes before leaving the country. What’s even more concerning is that this shatters the sense of safety and security our residents feel and should expect to enjoy in their homes. So today, we’re here to flip the script.”
Homes are targeted based on their location, cops say
Steer said police know criminals target properties backing onto green spaces, golf courses and ravines, where they can enter and exit through the back of homes without being seen. They also target homes along major highway corridors, like the 400, 407 and 404, for faster escape routes.
“And that’s exactly where you’re going to find our officers,” Steer said. “We want the community to know that we’re on your street and in your neighbourhood. And we also want the criminals to know that too.”
Police will be knocking on doors and visiting community centres, places of worship, shopping malls and plazas to distribute crime prevention materials.
Steer also said criminals often drive around neighbourhoods several times before choosing a target. Some wear masks, reflective vests and hardhats, or carry bags and ladders to make it look like they’re working in the area.
They also ring doorbells repeatedly to see if anyone is home, choosing targets when people are out commuting, running errands, attending family events or away on vacation.
“So please, if you see any of this activity, we want you to be that noisy neighbour,” Steer said.
Find up-to-date crime data in York Region on the Community Safety Data Portal , or become a partner in community safety by signing up for the Security Camera Registry .