An 11-year Toronto Police officer stationed at 22 Division is facing charges after an encrypted radio was allegedly stolen from the service.

Toronto Police say the radio was taken from 22 Division sometime between Sept. 12 and Oct.7, 2019.

The radio was recovered by police in May 2020.

The service’s professional standards unit has launched an investigation into the incident.

The circumstances surrounding the theft, use and recovery of the radio has not been disclosed due to an ongoing investigation. The radios were encrypted in 2015.

“There is always the potential that information may have been heard outside of the service when one of our radios are stolen,” a police spokesman said.

Const. Ronald Joseph was arrested on June 15 and charged with breach of trust and theft over $5,000.

The officer has suspended with pay and will return to Old City Hall Court on Sept. 4.

A motive hasn’t been released for the alleged theft.

Police say the radios can be used to by criminals who want to know what calls police are responding to.

The scams they never stop.

Toronto Police are warning of the latest COVID-19 scam targeting seniors and others that residents should know about.

Police are warning members of the community to be cautious of fraudsters who contact them online or by email or phone claiming to be medical professionals who are offering free goods.

Detectives, in a release, say scammers, who claim to be members of Public Health or the World Health Organization, are offering residents free masks, other goods, or COVID-19 updates.

The scammers try to establish contact and obtain personal banking information from the victim so they can clean out their accounts.

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the top incidents used by criminals to try to steal or extort money from seniors and others, police say.

If you have been approached or have questions call police at 416-808-2200.

It looks like the days of traffic congestion at Humber Bay Shores may continue for a while.

Some 5,000 passengers daily will travel downtown in a trip that will take less than 15-minutes on a proposed Park Lawn GO Station, says MPP Christine Hogarth.

Hogarth says the proposed station will “provide the Humber Bay Shores Community with a better, faster option to get to the downtown core in less than 15-minutes.”

The service will ‘reduce gridlock and emissions on our roads and improve the overall transit network.’

“For many years families in south Etobicoke have advocated for a rapid transit option within walking distance,” Hogarth says in an update titled Metrolinx’s Updated Initial Business Case, 2020 for a Park Lawn GO Station, that was released on June 11.

Residents of the Humber Bay Shores have long complained about rush-hour traffic congestion in the area and that it can take them an hour or more to drive to their downtown jobs. It is expected the new station will be built on the Christie lands.

The IBC is part of Ontario’s plan to deliver better public transit while delivering

significant cost savings to the taxpayers through third-party investment and ensuring

sustainable GO rail service to connect more people to jobs and housing. The release of

the business case is the next step in the development of a new GO station in the area,

which is subject to necessary agreements and approvals, which can take time.

“Park Lawn’s business case is an example of an opportunity created by our government’s commitment to pursuing innovative, modern and cost-effective transit solutions for the people and communities we serve,” says Kinga Surma, Associate Minister of Transportation.

Phil Verster, President and CEO of Metrolinx, says his agency has not made a decision on a station as they are ‘exploring’ all options.

“Exploring a new station on the Lakeshore West corridor in the Humber Bay Shores

Community, could provide a new, convenient option for existing and future GO

customers,” Verster says.

Just when you think you’ve heard them all.

Canadian and U.S. police are warning seniors and cell phone users of the latest text message scam that is starting to make the rounds to take advantage of COVID-19.

The Thomaston Police Department in Maine posted on Facebook a photo of the alert being sent to people in a text message, which should not be opened.

The message was sent to someone in Maine from an Indiana area code telling them they need to self-isolate because they came in contact with someone who tested positive or has shown symptoms for coronavirus.

The alert also tells you to get tested.

“If you receive a text message like the one pictured, do not click the link!” police wrote on Facebook. “It is not a message from any official agency. It is however a gateway for bad actors to find their way into your world.”

Police said it could be a phishing scam to get your personal information.

“The virus is not the only invisible enemy,” police said. “Be vigilant against all threats!”

Officers say scammers are also targeting seniors with text messages posing as U.S. and Canadian Health officials telling them they need to take a mandatory online COVID-19 test in order to receive the recently approved government stimulus payment.

Police are warning If you receive a similar text message, do not open the link because it is not from an official agency. It is a gateway for criminals to find their way into your wallet, detectives say.