Did you ever consider that you’re not the only person who likes your vehicle? It’s been proven, time after time, that others notice what’s sitting in your driveway or on the street, in front of your house. Sometimes people even go the extra step of checking out your vehicle to see if it’s locked, or if there might be some other way to just take your car/truck/SUV and drive it away.
While auto theft is not a new issue in this city – or any other – new trends in this type of crime are worthy of a reminder to every vehicle owner to take the time to secure your vehicle and other property. Since mid-September, police have investigated more-than-the-usual number of thefts of older-model, Honda and Acura cars. In less than a month, there has been an increase in thefts of older model Hondas/Acuras. These are believed to have been stolen under similar circumstances. Older vehicles may not share the same security features available in newer models, so owners of older-model vehicles may have to take a few extra steps to ensure their vehicles are properly secured. However, this is good practice for every vehicle owner.
Any of these practices, or a combination, can help:
- Always lock your vehicle. Do not store extra keys, or keys to another vehicle, inside.
- A steering-wheel locking device is a great deterrent to auto theft, both visually and functionally.
- If you have a garage, park your vehicle inside and make sure the garage door is locked.
- If you don’t have a garage, park in a well-lit location.
- Use motion lights and video surveillance, if your budget allows. Have some signage to indicate you have video surveillance on your premises.
- Be an observant neighbor. If you see something suspicious happening on your property or in your neighbourhood, call 306-777-6500. If it looks like a crime-in-progress, call 9-1-1. We would rather intervene early in suspicious activity, instead of investigating a more serious offence after the fact.