RCMP officer, volunteers use flyers to remind Halifax drivers to keep valuables hidden

In response to an increasing number of vehicle break-ins, a Nova Scotia RCMP officer and volunteers put flyers on cars in Halifax’s Cole Harbour and Eastern Passage communities on Saturday to remind occupants to keep valuables hidden and their doors locked.

“It’s a special time of year, and when vandals break into these vehicles, they’re not thinking about the loved ones. They’re just thinking about themselves,” Const. Blair Dole said.

The eight-person group, which was mainly comprised of volunteers with the group Citizens on Patrol, left flyers in parking lots adjacent stores during the morning.

This “proactive approach” is called Operation Hawkeye. Dole said he believes the group met the goal of attaching the black-and-white flyers on about 1,000 cars.

Along with tips for preventing the aforementioned crime, the flyer asks readers to report any unusual activity.

With Christmas a few weeks away, stores are busier than normal with more shoppers, and their cars, subsequently pose an increased risk, Dole said.

“It’s amazing what you see in the cars,” volunteer Lois Glibbery said, as she walked around putting flyers under windshield wipers in a parking lot in front of a grocery store. “People leave their purses.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's amazing what you see in the cars," volunteer Lois Glibbery said, as she walked around putting flyers under windshield wipers in a parking lot in front of a grocery store. "People leave their purses."

She said that someone has stolen items from her car before.

“It’s an infringement on your privacy. You just feel like you’ve been more than robbed because they take everything. They took the car registration and then we found it in the bushes after,” said Glibbery.

Another recipient said she appreciated the group’s work.