(Photo: Kelly Roche/QEW South Post/file)
The province’s top cops launched the Lock It Or Lose It campaign in Toronto Tuesday.
The crime prevention initiative from the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police encourages drivers and passengers to protect their vehicles and contents from theft.
Unlocked vehicles are an invitation to crime, said police.
During the campaign, parked cars are checked by officers .
“This season is prime business time for thieves,” said Insurance Bureau of Canada VP of investigative services Rick Dubin.
“So, as you go to park your car, do one simple thing: lock it down.” Motorists and passengers are urged not to keep personal documents such as ownership, insurance slips, credit card invoices, or other documents containing personal information in vehicles. Thieves are looking for such documents so they can assume identities, secure credit card accounts, lease vehicles for export, and even take out a mortgage against victims’ properties without their knowledge.
GTA in the GTA:
- Auto thefts have been on the decline over the past decade, however, in the past 12 months, there has been an uptick. Stolen vehicles are up 1 per cent to 73,924 across Canada.
- There has been an increase in identity theft in recent years. Cases of identity theft and fraud have increased across Canada from 10,807 in 2010 to 11,594 in 2013 – a 6 per cent increase.
Source: Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police 
-Kelly Roche
qewsouthpost.com 