(File photo/northeastNOW)

By Ben Tompkins

RCMP Plea

Melfort and Tisdale RCMP urge citizens to help prevent vehicle thefts

Aug 11, 2022 | 5:18 PM

The Melfort and Tisdale RCMP are reminding the public what they can do to help prevent vehicle thefts.

According to Melfort staff sergeant, Darren Simons, a total of four vehicles have been stolen just this week.

He told northeastNOW while all the vehicles have been recovered, they prefer to prevent the crime in the first place.

“The thing is, all the vehicles were very easy to steal because the keys were readily available. A lot of people are taking stolen vehicles and fleeing the police, which puts the public at risk and using the vehicles for other crimes, which puts the public at risk and damages the vehicles.”

Not only does it pose a safety issue to the communities and forces the RCMP to use additional resources, but it affects everyone in money costs.

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“When you think we’re all paying into SGI, the fewer vehicles stolen, the fewer vehicles damaged, the lower our rates are. It affects everyone.”

They listed a handful of no-no’s, which have led to such crimes being much easier to commit:

• Do not leave your vehicles running with the keys in the ignition, use your command start;
• Do not leave your vehicles unlocked with the keys in the ignition;
• Do not leave your vehicles unlocked with the keys hidden in the vehicle (visor, under floor mat, console, or the glovebox.)
• Do not leave the key in the gas tank or in the wheel well either.

Simons also explained while people may think the criminals have now been given the answer, he assured the public, the criminals already know.

“It’s not that we’ve told them, you see it on TV, that’s where everyone looks for the keys. That’s where people keep hiding them, that’s where people find them and then they just drive away with the vehicle.”

He also advised even if your keys are not nearby, but your vehicle is unlocked, people will just steal things inside.

“People will go along if you leave your vehicle unlocked, even if it’s a just couple of toonies and loot the vehicle. People who have a drug addiction will go through vehicles just to get enough money to get their next fix. People are unaware that you’re just making it easy for them. The more difficult it is for a criminal the less likely they’ll do it because most criminals are generally lazy.”

Driving into other buildings to access and steal, ramming into other vehicles, driving away quickly after being pursued and causing damage and driving through farmers’ fields were some of the other crimes that he mentioned.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8