Ottawa

Wave of vehicle break-ins hits Ottawa, say police

Ottawa police are warning people to keep valuables out of their vehicles after a wave of thefts over the past five weeks.

Nearly 500 thefts from vehicles reported since Oct. 1, say police

An anticipated deficit by Ottawa police in 2017 has grown by an additonal $1.8M, briging the total to $3.4M. (Jean-Sebastien Marier/CBC)

Ottawa police are warning people to keep valuables out of their vehicles after a wave of thefts over the past five weeks.

Since Oct. 1, there have been reports of 488 thefts from vehicles in the city. About half of those occurred in the downtown core, police said in a statement Friday.

Suspects are either opening unlocked car doors or smashing windows to get into the vehicles, police said.

Anyone with information about the rash of vehicle thefts can call the Ottawa Police Serivce at 613-236-1222, ext. 7300 or Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).