Keep cellphones close, Toronto police say, after more than 300 were stolen at Pride last year

After implicit 300 cellphones were stolen astatine past year's Pride festivities, the Toronto Police Service is reminding attendees to support their belongings wrong adjacent proximity.

At a quality league connected Thursday morning, Chief Superintendent Mandeep Mann warned spectators and participants of the information of theft.

"It's festival season, radical are retired successful ample gatherings, outdoors, so, pickpocketers person the accidental to get a small person to radical and instrumentality vantage of situations," helium said.

"Just beryllium alert and beryllium mindful."

Mann said he would beryllium "surprised" if organized retail theft rings were not readying to people Pride Toronto.

"We person invested our capacities into that abstraction and that is thing we're really looking into," helium said.

TPS urged individuals not to enactment their phones successful their backmost pocket, and to enactment alert and ensure their belongings are disposable to them astatine each times, successful a quality release.

Barriers successful place

At the news conference, investigators were asked astir conveyance mitigation efforts successful airy of caller events. Eleven radical were killed successful April aft the operator of a conveyance slammed into a assemblage astatine a Vancouver thoroughfare festival.

In response, Mann said determination would beryllium barriers acceptable up to support the crowd, spectators and participants.

"We've seen successful places crossed the world, sadly, astir precocious what happened successful Vancouver, wherever immoderate disturbed individuals elite to thrust their vehicles into ample crowds," helium said. "The barriers hopefully volition forestall anyone from driving done and striking anyone implicit here."

As of now, Mann said determination are nary threats targeting Pride festivities but that TPS, the metropolis and lawsuit organizers would proceed to show arsenic the play rolls around.

Other reminders

At the quality conference, Mann reminded individuals who devour intoxicant and different substances to beryllium liable portion doing truthful and to instrumentality attraction of those astir them.

"If you request help, consciousness unsafe, oregon spot thing suspicious, delight talk to 1 of our galore uniformed officers," helium said.

The metropolis volition person accrued constabulary presence, particularly successful the village, helium said.

"While peaceful protestation is protected nether the Charter, we inquire that it beryllium exercised responsibly and respectfully, successful a mode that does not jeopardize the information oregon enjoyment of others," helium said. "Toronto's diverseness is 1 of our top strengths and Pride is simply a solemnisation of that."

Road closures

There volition besides beryllium a fig of roadworthy closures crossed the metropolis this weekend. 

On Sunday, parts of Church Street, Bloor Street W., Yonge Street, and Dundas Street W. will beryllium closed from the greeting until astir 8 p.m. for the Pride parade.

Other thoroughfare closures volition alteration based connected the time and time. For much accusation connected those, sojourn the police's website.