COVID-19 has changed both criminal behaviour and policing in Ontario. Some of the crime trends, such as a surge in domestic violence, have been predictable.
Others, such as a significant rise in car thefts, have perplexed officers. Both trends have been seen by York Regional Police.
The force, which has jurisdiction north of Toronto, crunched some numbers comparing this March to last year’s. Impaired driving is down 29 per cent in the region.
York police had long tried various measures to curb the problem, especially after Marco Muzzo drove drunk in September 2015 and killed four members of the Neville-Lake family, including three young children.