July 18 2025: Joint Statement on Oakville Crime Prevention Roundtable
Yesterday, we convened the first meeting of our cross-government Oakville Crime Prevention Roundtable initiative — a forum for action where we will work together across federal, provincial, and local law enforcement to address crime in our community.
We discussed the many concerns from our constituents about incidents of property crime affecting residents of Oakville, such as auto thefts and home invasions. While we have seen a 20.9% decrease in auto thefts across Halton in 2024 compared to the previous year, more work is required to further reduce crime and keep our residents safe. Halton continues to be recognized as the safest regional municipality in Canada, a distinction we are determined to uphold. At the same time, we know that even in the safest communities, crime is having serious and lasting impacts, which is why addressing local concerns remains a top priority.
In a decisive step toward a safer community and stronger collaboration, we clarified our respective responsibilities moving forward across jurisdictions. We reaffirmed that each level of government must play its part — working to prevent crime before it starts, ensuring law enforcement has the tools needed to disrupt it, and holding those who commit crimes accountable.
The Halton Regional Police Services has a plan to further reduce the per capita property crime rate by 2027, including a 50% reduction in auto theft. Today, we reiterated our commitment to supporting the important work Halton Police are doing in Oakville.
This first meeting underscored the importance of an inter-jurisdictional approach to strengthening the capabilities and capacity of our police services, court system, border services, and detention centres. It also reinforced the need for a stronger Criminal Code and stricter bail laws for home invasions, car theft, and violent and organized crime.
We thank all partners involved for working together to find new solutions to this complex issue and for their collective commitment to protecting public safety in Oakville. We look forward to continuing this critical conversation at our next meeting.
Key Messages
The Oakville Crime Prevention Roundtable was launched on July 17 to strengthen public safety through collaboration between federal, provincial, and local law enforcement.
Halton remains the safest regional municipality in Canada, and this initiative reaffirms our collective commitment to maintaining this distinction.
All levels of government are working together across partisan lines to prevent crime, support law enforcement, and hold offenders accountable here in Oakville.
We support stronger laws, better tools, and targeted policing efforts – including the target set by the Halton Police Services to reduce auto thefts by 50% by 2027.
Everyone at the table recognized that no single jurisdiction can tackle crime and community safety alone. Meaningful progress depends on each jurisdiction stepping up and working together.
We look forward to continuing this productive conversation at our next meeting in the fall.
