WESTLOCK – Westlock RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Baird has some simple advice for people this holiday season — lock it up, or risk losing it.
Whether that’s locking the doors of your running vehicle if you’re ducking into the grocery store to grab some eggnog or ensuring your home is being looked after if you’re heading away on vacation, Baird said it only takes a few seconds to ensure your Christmas isn’t ruined by thieves.
And while he agrees with people who lament that they shouldn’t have to lock everything up, the reality is that criminals prey on easy targets and “you’re leaving yourself open for those thefts” if you don’t secure your vehicle or home.
“It only takes a minute for someone to come by and steal a running vehicle … that’s what the thieves are looking for. You’re taking a big risk every time you leave your vehicle running unattended,” said Baird. “So, lock your car up, lock your house up … make sure your stuff is locked up and not easily accessible and take the extra minute to safeguard your property to make things more difficult for the people who want to ruin your Christmas.”
While always locking your vehicle, running or not, is encouraged, so too is hiding recently-purchased Christmas presents or other valuables. Baird encourages people to put those items in the trunk, or under a blanket — anywhere so they remain out of sight of prying eyes.
“Hide your parcels away and keep them out of view or make a trip home to stash them. You want make your car unattractive to thieves,” he continued.
And with COVID-19 restrictions loosening somewhat, more people will be heading away over the Christmas break. For those making longer trips away, make sure your home is locked tight and ask a neighbour to check in and do simple tasks like removing snow from the walks to make sure it looks lived in.
“Having alarms is also useful. You can have systems set up to view the inside of your home with cameras and even doorbell cameras. People should take precautions to make it more difficult for thieves,” he said.
“It’s always easier to try and prevent crime then to try and recover property afterwards.”
