The Chatham-Kent Police Service is reminding motorists and passengers to ‘Lock It OR Lose It’ when it comes to their vehicles and valuables because Bad Santas are looking to ruin this holiday season.
The annual provincial Lock It OR Lose It campaign (#LockItOrLoseIt) is sponsored by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP).
Ontario police services are launching this year’s Lock It OR Lose It campaign during the holiday season because it’s easy to be distracted and leave vehicles unlocked or valuables in plain sight during this time of the year.
“Securing your vehicle and valuables makes sense year-round. But we know that would-be thieves are especially looking to play the role of Bad Santa during the holiday season by stealing your vehicle or valuables such as GPS and mobile devices, laptops, shopping bags, money and credit cards. Don’t be a victim. Lock it OR lose it,” stated Chief Gary Conn.
Between 2016 and 2017, there was an overall increase of 6% in auto theft across Canada. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, on average, a car is stolen every seven minutes in Canada. Automobile thefts cost Canadians close to $1 billion. This can be broken down to $542 million for insurers to fix or replace stolen vehicles, $250 million in police, health care and court system costs, and the rest for correctional services. It’s estimated that about 40 people die and 65 people are injured as a direct result of auto theft every year.
Motorists and passengers are urged not to keep personal documents such as vehicle ownership, liability pink slips, credit card invoices, or other documents containing personal information in their vehicles. Identity thieves are looking for such documents so they can assume identities, secure credit card accounts, lease vehicles for export, and even take out a mortgage against victims’ properties without their knowledge.
Top 10 Things Would-be Thieves Look for When Looking for Opportunities Involving Vehicles
1. Vehicle left running
2. Unlocked doors or trunk
3. Bags of any sort (especially shopping bags around the holiday season)
4. Visible Electronics
5. Phone Chargers
6. Loose Change in view
7. Sunglasses
8. Tools
9. Watches or other jewellery
10. Easy access to the trunk from the vehicle cab
