By Jill Sperling

RCMP suggest New Year’s resolution of locking car doors

Jan 9, 2017 | 2:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s a warning the RCMP have issued time and time again: lock your vehicle doors. Now, they’re asking the public to make it a New Year’s resolution to get into the habit. 

Cpl. Jodi Shelkie of the Kamloops RCMP said cases of vehicle thefts have been steadily increasing across the province over the last few years, and an unlocked door provides thieves with easy access to any valuables inside. 

Shelkie adds the RCMP have found that people are choosing to leave their doors open to prevent a broken window. She says that’s not a good idea.

“We’ve found that people will go into the vehicle and they’ll take insurance papers, if they haven’t been taken out, and they use those for identity fraud,” Shelkie said.  “They’ll take things like consoles out of the middle of the vehicle which costs up to $500 for some vehicles, they’ll take floor mats, and in one case one man went in and fell asleep in the back seat and then used the car for his bathroom, so it’s not really great to leave your vehicle unlocked either. Always lock your doors and take all your valuables out.” 

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Shelkie said many may simply be out of the habit of locking their doors, and for that reason the RCMP are asking people to make a conscious effort to lock up every single time they leave their vehicles. 

“They’re making resolutions to get healthy, or lose weight, and they know they have to do that 21 days to make it part of their lifestyle,” Shelkie said. “(It’s the) same thing with locking your doors, make it your New Year’s resolution to lock your vehicle every time you get out of it, and hopefully by the end of January then it will become a habit and it will prevent a lot of thefts from vehicles.”