County OPP officers continue to respond to calls for service for issues that are easily preventable.
Theft of various vehicles, pick-ups, cars, ATVs, Quads, motorcycles, mini bikes or snow machines are just a few that require an officer and investigation.
OPP Constable Mark Cloes said it may be a theft of items from someone going through a vehicle. In speaking with many offenders that police have caught over the years, many have explained to police why they have targeted the rural homes, or small town homes.
Thieves have told the officers on many occasions they continue to leave the cities, and head to the rural areas because usually the home owners leave their keys in the vehicles; they don’t lock the driving sheds; they leave the snow machines on the front lawns with the keys in them.
Some police tips to reduce chances of becoming a target include:
– make the home and buildings a harder target for thieves. Lock all doors. Don’t leave the keys nearby.
– don’t leave any keys for autos or vehicles like ATVs or snow machines with them.
– install motion lights or buzzers to alert everyone when someone comes up the driveway after dark. Thieves don’t like lights, and prefer to work under cover of darkness.
– lock all vehicles and remove property that they want to take such as wallets, briefcases, GPS, laptops, Gucci sunglasses etc.;
– trim the lower portions of trees up to height of six feet (two metres) to keep homes and autos visible from the road. It also makes it harder for thieves to sneak up on a home.
Cloes added, “If you spot anyone and anything unusual in your area, call the local police to investigate”
The local OPP dispatch number for Wellington County is 1-888-310-1122.
