KAWARTHA LAKES – The City of Kawartha Lakes Police are reminding motorists to lock their vehicles and take valuables inside after receiving several reports of thefts from vehicles throughout the city.
According to police, during the last seven days, officials have received 10 reports of thefts from vehicles. Police are urging the public to ensure their vehicles are left locked at all times.
Police say theft from motor vehicles is a crime of opportunity that can occur in a driveway or parking lot and in many cases, owners have left their vehicles unlocked, providing thieves easy access to their belongings. In other instances, owners have also left valuables in plain sight, enticing thieves to force their way into the vehicle and steal property.
According to police, thieves also tend to target personal identity documents. Leaving identity documents in your vehicle can pose great risks and could result in identity fraud. Information on passports, ownership documents, insurance documents, or sensitive work data or material could leave you vulnerable.
Keeping a copy of your ownership and insurance in your wallet instead of in the vehicle can reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of identity fraud. If there is more than one person operating the motor vehicle, you are encouraged to make an extra copy, police say.
If your wallet containing your debit or credit cards are taken, or if you had your address or your date of birth on any of the stolen items, the Kawartha Lakes Police Department encourages you to contact a credit monitoring agency and your financial banking institution immediately.
If someone has entered your vehicle and has stolen your property, officials encourage you to file a police report immediately which will assist them in tracking patterns of criminal behavior and potentially identifying suspects.
For more information, visit kawarthalakespolice.com. If there is any evidence left behind, including property belonging to the suspect, call police at 705.324.5252.
