Coquitlam RCMP are reminding drivers to keep their vehicles secured — and empty — after a rash of break-ins this week.
On Monday the detachment received 11 reports of smash-and-grabs with items stolen ranging from cash to sunglasses and even shoes. It's a reversal of the downward trend of vehicle break-ins police have seen over the past decade, due largely to increased use of prevention measures, the Bait Car program and legislation requiring new vehicles to be equipped with immobilizers
Now with thefts back on the rise, police are reminding the public that theft from vehicles is often linked to identity theft, with one out of every three stolen identity documents like insurance papers, driver's licences and passports being used to create fake IDs that could be traced back to vehicle theft files.
"Theft from vehicle is considered a crime of opportunity," said Const. Jamie Phillipson in an email to The Tri-City News. "You take a huge risk by leaving anything of value inside your car. We ask that you lock your vehicle, park in well-lit areas and remove everything from your car, including loose change and phones, in order to reduce the risk of having your vehicle broken into."
Securing your vehicle is also being a good neighbour by keeping the area from becoming a "target-rich" environment for such opportunistic thieves, according to police.
They offered the following tips to help drivers prevent thefts:
• Lock your doors and roll up your windows, even if there's nothing valuable inside, to discourage thieves looking for an easy target and to deter those aiming for a trunk or hood release button in order to steal parts or the contents of the trunk.
• Park in your garage if you have one, and lock both your vehicle and your garage.
• Wait for the gate. When entering or leaving underground parking garages, wait for the automatic gate to close before proceeding.
• Park in well-lit/well-populated areas where "natural surveillance" can serve as a deterrent.
• Take your garage opener, house/business keys and vehicle registration papers out of your vehicle when it’s parked. If thieves stole these items, they could use them to commit other crimes including identity theft and break and enter.
• Check on your vehicle. Even if you're not driving it regularly, a daily check can help ensure that we get information of criminal activity in a timely manner. If you're away on vacation, have a trusted friend or neighbour check to ensure it hasn't been broken into.
Police also asked motorists not to:
• Leave your valet key, spare key or house keys inside the vehicle.
• Store car keys, or spare keys, in visible spots in your home. Keep keys in a secure spot, where they aren’t visible through a window.
• Leave your car running. Whether to cool it down in summer, warm it up in winter, leaving your vehicle running with the keys inside is extremely high risk.
• Leave briefcases, purses and backpacks that may contain wallets, identification, laptops, cell phones and other valuables unattended in your vehicle. Not even for a moment. Not even locked in your trunk or glove box. You never know when a criminal is around looking for an opportunity. But you can rest assured that thieves know to check the trunk and glove box if they don't see anything out in the open.
• Leave the security of your vehicle to chance. If your vehicle doesn’t come equipped with an immobilizer consider having one installed or buying and using an anti-theft device.
