York police arrest 4 in GTA-wide break and enters

WATCH ABOVE: York Regional Police set up a task force in April after noticing 11 break-and-enters with similar M.O.s. Catherine McDonald has more.

TORONTO – York Regional Police announced the arrests of four people on Tuesday in connection to a series of residential break and enters across the Greater Toronto Area.

Police say their investigation, code named Project Copyright, began on April 20 which linked the crimes to homes in York and Peel Region.

The male suspects face more than 65 charges related to 38 residential break and enters with all of them having occurred during the daytime hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Police say the men would knock on doors of homes in high-end neighbourhoods and force the front entrance open when there was no answer.

In each case, the suspects made their way to the bedroom in search for jewelry. If they encountered a resident inside, the men would flee, police say.

The accused were arrested on July 21 after search warrants were executed. An undisclosed amount of jewelry and cash were also seized.

Police say the group of men were part of a gang called the “Get Money Club” and were known to police in similar break and enters.

Detective Sergeant Don Cardwell told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday that some of the men have already been arrested and convicted for prior crimes.

Police say in these break and enters, the men would use rental vehicles and replaced them with stolen license plates.

The jewelry collected would then be brought to a jewelry store and melted for cash. Police have set up a Flickr page with photos of the stolen property, for members of the public to examine.

Police are reminding the public to be vigilant and to report any sort of suspicious activity in their neighbourhood.

Authorities also say it is important to make your home is difficult for thieves to break into by locking doors when you leave your home, to store valuables in a safety deposit boxes, installing dead-bolt locks on all exterior doors and consider getting an alarm system.

If possible, residents are also advised to take photographs of valuable belongings and to keep a record of possessions by marking down the make, model and serial number.