Penticton RCMP are warning residents to lock their car doors.
Police are currently investigating a rash of thefts from vehicles. On Wednesday night, seven cars were broken into throughout the city.
In all seven cases, the car doors were left unlocked and valuables were stolen.
“People are out at night looking at easy pickings and easy pickings is when you leave your vehicle unlocked and your valuables inside,” says Sgt. Rick Dellebuur.
One of the victims of Wednesday night’s crime spree is an Alberta family on holidays in Penticton.
Bill and Shannon Freel had two digital cameras stolen from their truck that was parked in the driveway on Ridgedale Avenue. Bill Freel takes responsibility saying he forgot to lock his car doors that night.
“I forgot. I normally lock it every time. I got out, forgot one time to lock it and my cameras were taken,” says Bill Freel.
While losing the cameras is one thing, what’s more upsetting to the family is the two memory sticks that were also taken. They say the memory sticks contain close to 300 photos of their young children and other family events.
“I could not care less about cameras. They can be replaced but our memories on those memory sticks can’t,” says Freel.
They have called pawn shops and even put up a sign on their front lawn offering a reward for the return of the memory sticks, no questions asked.
Police meantime say there could be other car theft victims because not everyone reports them.
They are urging anyone who has had their vehicle broken into to report it because it could help in the investigation.
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