Residents of an upscale Toronto neighbourhood say they’re paying for private security guards amid a rise in break-ins.
Toronto police data shows that while home invasions are down city-wide year-over-year, residential break-and-enters in Rosedale-Moore Park are up nearly 30 per cent, with 70 incidents in 2025.
At least 20 incidents have been reported in the area since the start of the year, prompting some residents to take matters into their own hands to protect their homes.
“In recent months, there has been a huge drive to organize private security,” Janice Lo, president of the South Rosedale Residents Association, told CTV News Toronto in an interview.
One resident told CTV News Toronto that their home has been broken into two times, and four of their vehicles have been stolen. Another said there have been “so many problems” with break-ins in the area as of late.
‘He roamed our home for about 20 minutes’
Before she became the president of the neighbourhood watch group, Lo was a victim of a home invasion herself in 2016.
“He roamed our home for about 20 minutes while my family slept and we didn’t know (he was in the house) until he set off the alarm when he was exiting,” she told CTV’s Your Morning in a previous interview.
Lo said that some area residents are now paying between $170 and $200 a month for security guards and vehicles to patrol the streets, while keeping an eye on clients’ properties and noting suspicious activity, with agents ready to respond to break-ins within minutes.
“There are door-knocking campaigns, there are also endorsements by the residents’ association, but every home has their own individual choice whether they’d like to participate or not,” Lo said.
Beyond private security measures, some homeowners are also installing hammer-proof glass, as well as stronger locks and alarm systems to avoid being victimized.
Some residents considering ‘virtual gated communities’
University-Rosedale Coun. Diane Saxe recently attended a town hall which was organized by Lo and attended by 53 Division police officers. She said police officers have ramped up their presence in the area following the recent home invasions.
“The police increased patrols and encouraged individuals or private security to provide them with information gathered, video etc.,” she told CTV News Toronto in an email, noting there have been “some” arrests as a result.
Saxe said some of her constituents have expressed interest in what’s known as a “virtual gated community,” which uses technology to track who’s coming in an out of the neighbourhood.
Chris Lewis, CTV News’ public safety analyst and a former OPP Commissioner, thinks that’s a good idea.
“Ultimately, any security at all is a good thing, whether that’s some sort of (physical) gated community where you have to go through a gate and through an individual to get access,” Lewis told CTV’s Your Morning last week.
“Or ultimately, cameras set up that will see people coming into the community, record them and potentially help police in terms of evidence or suspect vehicles ahead of time that are kind of casing a neighborhood.”
In a statement to CTV News, Toronto police said it understands that someone breaking into your home is “alarming and terrifying” and takes such incidents “extremely seriously.”
“The Toronto Police Service works closely with our Hold Up Squad and other specialized units, and our focus is on working with communities through prevention strategies, targeted enforcement, and ongoing investigations to address crime concerns,” a spokesperson said.
“TPS also offers Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design audits, where officers can assess residents’ homes to make them less appealing to potential criminality.”
With files from CTV News’ Janice Golding
