#2 District
171 Major MacKenzie Drive West, Richmond Hill

Command Team:
Superintendent Karen Noakes
Inspector Graeme Turl

Led by Superintendent Karen Noakes and Inspector Graeme Turl, 184 sworn officers and seven civilian members provide policing services to 185,000 residents in the predominantly urban Town of Richmond Hill and the Thornhill area of the Town of Markham and the City of Vaughan.

In addition to the dedicated crime prevention and law enforcement activities of #2 District officers, members also participate in a variety of community events including the Richmond Hill Winter Carnival, International Women’s Day, Iranian Fire Festival, Heart and Stroke Big Bike, Chinese New Year celebrations and the Hope and Soap car wash.

#2 District is also home to the York Regional Police Memorial Wall. This permanent place of honour is dedicated to the memory of the nine police officers killed in the line of duty in the County and Region of York since 1804. Each year, their sacrifice is honoured at a memorial service in May.

OUR OFFICERS IN ACTION

Project Garda

It began as a routine night shift for two Garda Armoured Car Services security guards. On February 5, 2009, the guards were making their usual rounds, which included a number of stops to pick up cash, replenish Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and retrieve deposit envelopes.

One of those stops was the Royal Bank branch at 12935 Yonge Street in Richmond Hill. The guards pulled up in their armoured truck about 10 p.m. They parked the truck, which already contained a large amount of cash, and locked it before entering the bank to complete their duties.

The suspects didn’t waste time. Within seconds they managed to gain entrance to the locked vehicle, quickly removing approximately $2.3 million in cash, before fleeing the scene in a waiting vehicle.

Seasoned #2 District investigators, 20-year veteran Detective Sergeant Jim MacSween and 23-year veteran Detective Peter Heard, were assigned to lead the large investigative team in this case. Officers in Investigative Services and #4 and #5 Districts provided further assistance as the investigation moved forward.

Following extensive field investigation, officers executed several production orders, which netted cell phone and computer records. That narrowed the investigative focus to specific suspects, including a Garda employee in Toronto and several people living in or near Montreal, Quebec.

Investigators soon discovered the employee had supplied the information that allowed his accomplices to bypass the truck’s security system during the theft. In addition, he was related to members of the Quebec group. That’s when York Regional Police reached out to our colleagues at the Sûreté du Québec and initiated a joint-forces operation called Project Garda.

Officers discovered suspects were living incredibly extravagant lifestyles following the

theft. They were enjoying lives now filled with fine food and expensive liquor, exotic vacations, high-end jewelry, vehicles and boats and nights on the town that included bar tabs of $3,500.

The ongoing investigation revealed another chilling fact – the suspects were planning a second robbery with an escalated level of violence. In the interest of public safety,

the Project Garda team moved to arrest the suspects immediately.

On Wednesday, April 29, 2009, a series of predawn raids were conducted simultaneously in Toronto and Montreal.

Seized property included five high-end cars and three boats worth more than $300,000, a variety of other luxury items and $600,000 in cash, including $300,000 hidden in a suitcase behind a washing machine and $180,000 found in a gym bag hanging on a closet door.

Two men arrested during the raids later pleaded guilty before the Ontario Court of Justice to charges including Theft Over $5,000 and Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence. A third man was also convicted of Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence in relation to the planned robbery. The accused were sentenced to prison terms ranging between seven months and five-and-a-half years.

The efforts of the 19-person investigative team and the excellent cooperation between agencies exemplified the York Regional Police value of teamwork. York Regional Police team members were proud to accept the 2009 Police Appreciation Night Excellence in Policing Award for their work on Project Garda.