ERIN – As an attempt to combat recent car theft in Erin, resident David Spencer held an educational car theft prevention seminar on May 23 at Centre 2000.
Offered in partnership with the OPP, the event provided participants with incident statistics and strategies to prevent their car from being stolen.
The Town of Erin sponsored the seminar along with the Erin Resident’s Association, and it was free to the public.
“If something is happening in my community… I’m going to do something about it,” Spencer told the Advertiser.
He noted the event was a success and many people got involved by asking “smart” questions.
With 13 attendees, Spencer explained he had hoped more people would attend, but was pleased with the event nonetheless.
“Whether it is two or 200 people, the important thing was that we held it,” Spencer said.
According a press release from officials, auto thefts occur every 17 minutes across Ontario.
Peel Regional Police data indicates that from March 27 to April 27, a combined 497 vehicle thefts were reported in Mississauga (253) and Brampton (244).
That works out to approximately 16 thefts or more per day in the region.
The Erin seminar spoke of various ways to prevent car thefts from occurring and equipment people can access.
Spencer stressed the idea of security cameras in and on one’s home, and how advanced they have become.
He continued to speak on faraday bags, which are tools for protecting electronic devices and key fobs used for vehicles.
The bag prevents signals from being sent and received, blocking thieves from duplicating one’s key fob signal.
The main speaker was Wellington County OPP media relations Constable Josh Cunningham, along with community safety officer Constable Sarah McClinchey.
