Although vehicle break-ins do occur, the number of thefts was well above average. In addition, 90 per cent of the vehicles broken into had Washington licence plates.
The thief of thieves used a variety of different ways to get in, from smashing and prying windows to punching out door locks. Some of the vehicles were left open. In two of the cases, items were removed from the back of pickup trucks that were left unsecured.
The thefts were reported in a number of different locations – Spearhead Drive, the 3800 block of Painted Cliff, the 4300 block of Northlands, Lake Placid Road, and the 4500 block of Blackcomb Way. The vehicles were parked in underground lots, on the street and in front of hotels.
In response to this rash of vehicle break-ins, the RCMP is increasing patrols in these and other areas, and is attempting to educate locals and visitors to prevent these thefts from taking place.
• Always park in a secured area, checking for video surveillance in the area.
• Make sure the area is always well lit if you’re parking your car at night.
• Don’t leave anything in your vehicles – you might not think something is valuable, but it might be enough to attract a thief.
• Take a look around before you park, noting who is next to you, and if there are any suspicious persons in the area.
• Don’t assume items in your trunk are safe. In many cases, the thief or thieves will watch you put your valuables into your trunk and break into the car to release the latch for the trunk.
• Consider purchasing a vehicle alarm and placing stickers on your windows to notify thieves about your alarm system.
