**TIMMINS POLICE SERVICE NEWS RELEASE**

With the holiday shopping season underway, the Timmins Police Service is making a public appeal in terms of crime prevention. The basic message is for all persons to engage in a “Lock it or Lose it” frame of mind.

During the Lock It OR Lose It Campaign, Timmins Police officers and the Timmins Police Auxiliary Unit officers will be deployed to examine parked vehicles in public places such as shopping malls, public parking lots, and on-street parking spots to confirm that these vehicles are locked and that no valuables have been left in plain view.

These officers are focused on crime prevention and will be focused on reminding vehicle owners to take the necessary anti-theft precautions.

In short, leaving your vehicle unlocked is an invitation to would-be criminals to victimize you. An unlocked vehicle offers the opportunity for theft of the vehicle and/or its contents. By simply securing your vehicle and placing valuables out of sight you are making it far more difficult for criminals to steal contents from your vehicle.

We know that throughout the year, holidays seem to be a particularly attractive time for petty thefts from unlocked vehicles.

Here is a list of the top 10 things would-be thieves look for when seeking out theft opportunities involving unlocked vehicles:
1. Vehicle left running
2. Unlocked doors or trunk
3. Bags of any sort (especially shopping bags around the holiday season)
4. Visible Electronics
5. Phone Chargers left showing
6. Loose Change in plain view
7. Sunglasses left on the dash
8. Tools (usually left in a pickup truck box)
9. Watches or other jewellery
10. Easy access to the trunk from the vehicle cab
With crime prevention being the overriding theme, vehicle owners and passengers can do simple things to decrease the risk of being victimized, such as:
? Never leave a running vehicle unattended, even for brief periods of time
? Always lock your doors
? Roll up your windows completely
? Keep valuables out of sight
? Keep your registration and proof of insurance in your wallet or purse, not in the glove box
? Never leave your keys in your vehicle
? At night or during extended parking periods, always park in a well-lit area.
True crime prevention is a collaborative effort between the general public and the Timmins Police Service officers who serve and protect. A certain amount of the obligation to “protect” applies to personal property. With that in mind, the individual vehicle owner must do his part to reduce petty thefts and other crimes of opportunity.

Filed under: Local News