NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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Members of the Southern Georgian Bay detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to remind motorists again to lock their vehicles when they park them and secure your home or apartment when you either leave for the day or retire for the evening.
Recent investigations of unlocked vehicles being entered in communities policed by the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment here in north Simcoe have resulted in several vehicle owners reporting the loss of personal effects along with wallets with associated credit cards, cash and identification.
Vehicle owners and drivers are urged to secure their vehicle prior to leaving it and also to remove or put out of sight any valuables that may be in the vehicle. (View the following video link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UxUNbJYosE.) It seems to be a regular occurrence for officers to receive a report of a vehicle entry or a series of entries only to learn the vehicles were left unlocked or locked with valuables left out in plain sight causing a forced entry and theft. These types of thefts can lead to the loss of credit cards and other pieces of personal identification which can be used in fraud-related occurrences.
Homeowners have also been victimized losing such items as expensive mechanical hand tools, bicycles and small outboard motors from unlocked garage doors and backyard sheds. Please remember to secure them before you become a victim.
For more information please view the following website: www.opp.ca/index.php?id=115&lng=en&entryid=573b26728f94ac8c4a85d303.
OPP officers urge home and business owners to make themselves aware of the property security tips found in the following link: OPP SafeGuard Ontario Property Security Program.
Anyone who may have information of a property crime is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122, [email protected] or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit your anonymous information online at ontariocrimestoppers.ca/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tip. You can follow Crime Stoppers of Simcoe-Dufferin-Muskoka (www.crimestopperssdm.com) on Twitter or Facebook.
The loss of your property may only be the beginning.
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