‘Ask a Cop’: Seasonal crime trends, and can I have my license plate on my dash?

myFM News presents ‘Ask a Cop’.

Listeners submitted questions for Halton Regional Police Service Constable Ryan Anderson. A resident asked about how crime patterns shift across the changing seasons.

Constable Anderson says the weather definitely plays a factor in the kind of crimes they see.

He adds that crimes of mischief involving damage to property or parks are also more common during the warmer months. Whether that be property damage or graffiti, the trend has led to more park patrols by officers during the spring, summer, and fall. There have been two reported Halton graffiti cases in the last few weeks:

Constable Anderson adds that vehicle thefts do occur all-year round, but bouncing off his point of ‘crimes of opportunity’, the Halton Police does receive reports of vehicle thefts during the winter when the motorist was warming their engine up. They could be sitting inside finishing breakfast while the vehicle is idling in the driveway. That allows for thieves to see the idling car, get in, and drive off with the owner being none the wiser. He includes that this also happens in the warmer months with some motorists stopping at a store and leaving their vehicle idling while they “quickly” go inside.

Another question asked this week was whether it is legal or not to place a license plate on the dash of the car along the front window as opposed to affixing it to the bumper of a vehicle. Constable Anderson says that this is a question they get a lot from car collectors. He says these car fanatics want to avoid damaging the exterior of the vehicle as much as possible.

Unfortunately for those car collectors, here in Ontario, your license plate needs to be clearly visible at both the front-end and back-end of the vehicle. That means your plate sitting on your dash doesn’t count.

As discussed in a previous ‘Ask a Cop’ segment focusing on license plates being covered by snow or mud, the public must be able to read your plates. Whether it’s Halton Police officers, the traffic lights taking pictures of your vehicle as you run a red light or the residents having to report your vehicle for a crime, the plates on vehicles registered in Ontario must be easily visible from both ends. Constable Anderson adds that this does not apply to motorcycles or motor-assisted bicycles.

When asked if he has seen other ways to have a license plate be visible at the front of the vehicle without drilling into the bumper of a vehicle, Constable Anderson says he has seen some drivers ziptie the plate through the grill. He argues that this would make it visible enough to not warrant a ticket.

‘Ask a Cop’ will return next week with more of your questions being answered. Send your questions to news1013@mbcmedia.ca, message your questions to 101.3 myFM on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or comment on any ‘Ask a Cop’ social media post.

You can also read past ‘Ask a Cop’ segments:

Now Playing