North Shore police urge drivers to 'break the habit' of leaving valuables in cars
North Vancouver RCMP and West Vancouver Police urge common sense to stop huge spike in theft from auto reports
North Shore drivers who leave things like loose change and cell phones lying in their unlocked cars are partly responsible for a 500 per cent spike in thefts from vehicles compared to last year, say police.
That's why North Vancouver RCMP and West Vancouver Police and ICBC are teaming up to launch a new campaign called "Break the Habit — Remove Valuables from your Vehicle!".
"The North Shore has been hit especially hard these last few months," said Cpl. Richard De Jong, adding there's been 221 thefts from autos in October alone, and almost 500 collectively in North and West Vancouver over the last four months.
"The North Shore has been hit especially hard these last few months. Const. Jeff Wood of West Vancouver RCMP says there are about a dozen serial thieves committing most of the crimes, but drivers are also to blame for making it far too tempting and easy for them.
"Over 90 per cent of the theft from autos have been from unlocked vehicles," he said. "They've also been from vehicles that have had iPhones, iPods, tablets, loose change and sunglasses left in them. That's why we're asking people to break the bad habit."
The campaign advises other common sense practices:
- hide chargers and accessories because they indicate the presence of larger devices
- keep your car interior "showroom clean"
- remove garage door openers, key cards, and house or work keys so that a prowler cannot gain access to your home
- don't store credit cards, identification or personal information in your glove box
- install a motion detector in the light fixture closest to where you park
- join Blockwatch or talk to your neighbours to share information about suspicious activity
Thieves are usually in and out of a car in less than a minute, and operate most often between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
"One car thief stated to police that if a neighbourhood consistently keeps its vehicles free of valuables, he will move on to another neighbourhood," said De Jong.
Police also want to remind the public that a theft from an auto is often a gateway to more serious crimes like identity theft, break-and-enter, and vehicle theft.