TORONTO – Even a police officer can have his car broken into.
Constable Tony Vella recalled a time when he returned to his car one day to
find the change stolen from the console area.
“I thought I locked the car door,” he said. “But my fault
was that the change was visible from the street level.”
Car thefts have gone down since the mid-1990s across Canada,
according to a 2011 Statistics Canada report.
Vehicle theft may be down in the Greater Toronto Area, but
that doesn’t mean car owners can’t take steps to prevent thieves from gaining
valuable information and possessions.
GlobalNews.ca spoke with Vella about five ways to keep your
car safer:
Don’t leave valuables and personal information inside
Contrary to popular practice, leaving insurance slips and
licences in a car’s glove box is a bad idea.
“Do not leave it in your vehicle, just in case you park your
car on the street and it gets broken into and then stolen,” Vella explained.
“You don’t want the person who’s stolen your car to know your home address.”
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Leaving valuables in plain sight is also bait for a thief.
“There’s shopping bags, there’s a laptop, it’s enticing,
it’s worth their time now to break into your car,” he said.
Use your garage for its intended purpose
Garages are normally stocked with things other than cars
today. People use them as a space to store knick-knacks, furniture, paint cans,
everything but their car.
“Clean out your garage and put your car in the garage,
particularly at night,” Vella said.
Activate your alarm system
One of the reasons why auto-theft has been declining since
the mid-1990s is the rise in alarm systems. A beeping car will not only alert
the driver to a thief, it will send a thief running.
“Take advantage of that option,” he said. “You’ve paid for
it, you might as well use it.”
Lock your doors whether you’re in or out
Vella has heard the same excuses for not locking car doors
several times.
“‘Why lock my car just in case someone’s going to break into
my car, I don’t want my windows damaged,’” he recalled hearing once. “It
doesn’t make any sense because you know what you’re doing? You’re making it
easier for them.”
Lock your car doors when you enter your vehicle, as well as
when you leave. A thief going down a line of cars is looking for an unlocked
one. Smashing a window means more work, unnecessary noise, and possible harm to
a thief. A locked car is a useless car to them.
Park in well-lit well-observed areas
According to Vella, thieves are looking for secluded spots
where cars are parked. Those are easier to break into.
“They’re hoping to break into your car without anybody
noticing,” he said.
Park your car in a well-lit area. If you find a surveillance
camera, park underneath it.
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