A new provincial taskforce aimed at addressing a rise in carjackings will be co-lead by Ontario Provincial Police and their Greater Toronto Area counterparts.

The task force is slated to be co-led by the OPP and Toronto police, who note that the level of violence used in vehicle thefts represents a “new and evolving threat.”

In a joint statement Monday, the forces report that there have been more than 300 carjackings in the GTA this year, with over 200 of them taking place in Toronto.

Some insurance industry groups are calling this spike in vehicle theft in recent years a crisis.

Earlier this year, the Ontario government announced new funding for police to help tackle auto thefts, citing a 72% increase in those offences from 2014 to 2021.

Toronto police and the OPP and say the joint task force is funded by the participating police services and the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario through provincial funding.