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Police issuing good tickets

Terrace RCMP are checking parked cars to ensure drivers have locked out thieves and leaving checklists and treats for good crime prevention

Today, Dec. 19, Terrace RCMP and Auxiliary officers are checking parked vehicles in various locations and assessing how well people are protecting themselves as part of a Lock Out Auto Crime initiative.

In order to reduce theft from autos, the Lock Out Auto Crime program was created as a joint venture between the RCMP, crime prevention organizations and ICBC.

The program is designed to be an educational program that promotes awareness and highlights safety measures to help protect vehicles from theft or vandalism.

"We get many calls of theft from vehicles, over 150 of them in 2014, and in the majority of these incidents the vehicle was left unlocked. Theft from vehicles is a crime of opportunity and as such is preventable. Locking a vehicle is the first step. The second step is not leaving valuables in a vehicle or in plain view. Something as insignificant as small change may lure a thief. Quite often the damage the thief causes to get into a vehicle is a lot more expensive than what they actually steal. The victim then has to pay the deductible cost, and all of us are faced with higher insurance premiums as a result," says Const. Angela Rabut, Community Policing/Media Relations Terrace RCMP.

The police officer will take note of anything that attracts thieves to a vehicle, such as;

  • Are there items of value left out in the open?

  • Is your vehicle locked?

  • Does your vehicle have an anti-theft device?

The police officer records each ‘prevention infraction’ on a formatted checklist, and leaves it on the windshield for the driver to review.

There is absolutely nothing punitive about the program; it is simply intended to promote the prevention of auto crime.

If you are practicing good crime prevention and a prevention infraction is not observed, a treat will be left for you, compliments of McDonald’s.

If you see a suspicious person in your neighbourhood or in an area of parked vehicles, contact the Terrace RCMP at 250-638-7400 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers by telephone at 1-800-222-TIPS, online at www.terracecrimestoppers.ca or by texting TERRACE plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES).

If your information leads to an arrest ,you may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.