Kelowna

The best way to deter theft is to make it more difficult for the thief to ply his or her trade.

That's the message Kelowna RCMP hope to get across when it comes to thefts from vehicles.

Photo: Castanet Staff - File Photo

While auto theft itself is on the decline, RCMP Cst. Kris Clark says thefts from vehicles is trending the other way.

Not only is it on the rise, but Clark says the majority of these thefts could be prevented by following two simple steps:

• Always lock your vehicle
• Do not leave any property inside your vehicle

Clark says over 4,600 thefts were reported to Kelowna RCMP in 2012.

Of those, nearly 40 per cent (1,840) were thefts from vehicles and at least two-thirds of those  (aprox 1,250) were from unlocked vehicles.

"It becomes readily apparent how following these two simple rules would positively affect crime prevention," says Clark.

"Kelowna RCMP is committed to its Crime Reduction Strategy but, in order for the strategy to work, the community itself must be an engaged and active partner."

Clark says without the assistance of the public to prevent crimes by performing their own due diligence crimes such as thefts from vehicles will persist.