Did you know Regina residents can have a direct effect on crime rates? Some of the most effective crime prevention takes only a minute. Lock your vehicle when you leave it. Remove all valuables, including keys and garage door openers. You could be preventing a lot more than just a single theft.
Property crime, particularly theft, continues to be a challenge in our city. In the June crime statistics report to the Regina Board of Police Commissioners, Thefts under $5,000 (many of which are Theft from Auto) were up by 199 reported incidents, compared to the same period in 2016. That represents an 8.3% increase in this type of crime. Much of it is preventable and involves taking simple precautions like removing valuables from vehicles and locking doors.
In the most recent weekly crime trends meeting at Police Headquarters, the stats for the week of July 25th to August 1st, show 75 reported Theft-from-auto incidents. To expand: 35 of these were in Regina’s South District alone. Of the 35 incidents in the South District, eleven involved unlocked vehicles and eight had windows smashed to remove valuables left in plain sight. Property taken included: tools, fishing equipment, computers, wallets, cash ($800. in one incident), two pairs of prescription sunglasses, a generator, garage door openers and bikes. And it doesn’t stop there. Theft from a vehicle can lead to other crimes, depending on the item taken:
- Keys to a second vehicle = Stolen Auto, Dangerous Drive, Evade Police, Injury Collisions,
- Garage Door Opener = Garage B&E, Theft, House B&E, Home Invasion,
- Wallet = Fraud, Forgery, Identity Theft, Fraudulent Use of Credit Card Data,
- House Keys = Home B&E, Theft (including theft of Firearms)…and more.
Crime prevention is needed in all areas of our city. Now that the Queen City Exhibition is in full swing, the Regina Police Service is reminding everyone, visitors and residents alike, to ensure their vehicles are locked when not in use and all valuables are removed from the vehicle or out of sight.