Kelowna

Don't be a target

Jennifer Zielinski - Aug 31, 2015 / 5:31 pm | Story: 146915

A new campaign to keep you and your valuables safe is being launched by the City of Kelowna and the RCMP.

Don’t be an easy target, is about increasing public awareness to help reduce theft from motor vehicles.

Crime prevention co-ordinator Colleen Cornock says theft from vehicles is a crime of opportunity, and one quarter of of vehicle theft comes from unlocked vehicles.

“This actually came about from 2014 stats, and we wanted to target the issue this year into the fall. We want to raise awareness as well as get the public involved in reducing theft from vehicles."

Tips to avoid being an easy target are:

Always lock your vehicle, even if it is parked at home or when you only plan to be away from the vehicle for a short period of time. Thieves look for an easy target.
Remove any packages or personal property from your vehicle.This includes personal identification in your car. Theft of identification can be associated to future crimes involving fraud.
Watch for individuals looking in vehicles, trying door handles and suspicious people wandering parking lots or loitering, and report it.

The hardest hit months for theft from vehicles are June, July, August and September.

Cornock says thieves who steal from vehicles are rarely caught because the act usually happens at night and happens very quickly.

“People are just leaving in plain view, purses, wallets, keys and they are leaving their vehicles unlocked,” she says.

While the downtown core was the hardest hit with thefts from cars, the residential area of Rutland also saw a spike in crime.

To help promote the campaign ‘Don’t be a target’ the City of Kelowna and the Crime Prevention Office will be canvasing the community handing out special gum packages that advocate for keeping your vehicle safe.
There are also campaign vinyl stickers being placed on the back of parking pay-stations in the downtown core.

Statistics for theft from motor vehicles, broken down by yearly and monthly comparisons.

Year to date COMPARISON (JAN 01 - AUG 30)