Throughout October and November, Alberta RCMP are working on getting residents to remember to lock up their vehicles, remove their valuables and move registration out of sight. The RCMP say that this week is the most active period for stolen cars. In 2017, an average of 34 vehicles a day, making a total of 12,362 vehicles were reported stolen.
In a press release, Inspector Mike Lokken, the detachment commander for Stony Plain, Spruce Grove and Enoch RCMP says, “Vehicle theft is a crime of opportunity. We are still finding that at least fifty per cent of vehicle thefts in Alberta happen because the keys were inside or the car was left running.”
From January to August of 2018, 6, 667 cars were stolen and the RCMP received over 7 thousand reports of theft from a vehicle. During this time, 51% of vehicles that were stolen were trucks.
The RCMP encourages drivers to take the following steps to keep your car and your belongings safe:
- Keep your vehicle locked at all times.
- Always close windows and lock all doors.
- Never leave your vehicle running while unattended.
- Don’t keep your garage door opener in your car. This could give thieves easy access to your house and valuables.
- Don’t keep vehicle registrations and other IDs in the vehicle. They are used to steal your identity.
- Park in well-lit areas with pedestrian traffic.
- Hide valuables like loose change and electronic devices from view.
- Keep shopping bags out of sight.
