More than 20 vehicles in Wellesley and Wilmot townships and at least six vehicles in Woolwich Township were entered over the long weekend. Items stolen from vehicles included GPS devices, iPods, wallets and cell phones – and all of the victims say they had left their car doors unlocked when the incidents occurred.
“These are crimes of opportunity,” said Sgt. Don Scott of Waterloo Regional Police Division 1A, serving Wilmot and Wellesley. “The people doing the break-ins are going up and down driveways and trying car doors. When they find one that is unlocked, they take what they can find.”
Many of the victims who reported the crimes told police that they don’t lock their vehicles because they believe that if a criminal wants to take something from their car, they will break the window to gain entry. Not true, said Scott.
“Breaking the window of a vehicle is not easy, and it makes a lot of noise,” he explained. “The people doing the thefts do not want to increase their chances of getting caught. I can count on one hand the number of times we have seen a vehicle broken into when the car is locked.”
Police indicate that the best way to prevent theft from your vehicle is to always remember to lock your doors, and to refrain from leaving valuable items in plain view. Your best bet is to remove them from the car entirely, said Scott.
“We can’t be everywhere at once, so we need community members to stay vigilant about keeping their doors locked. If we remove the opportunity for theft, the thefts won’t happen as much.”
