Kingston, Ont. police warn of rise in reported thefts from unattended vehicles

A Kingston Police vehicle in Kingston, Ont.

Kingston police are reminding residents to keep their vehicles locked and to keep valuables out of sight after a reported rise in thefts, particularly in the city’s west end.

Police said Thursday they’ve seen an increase in reports of items being stolen from parked cars.

“These types of thefts are usually thefts of opportunity. Someone trying door handles will enter unlocked parked vehicles and steal anything of value,” police said on social media.

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“On rare occasions a thief may smash a window or cause damage to get into a locked vehicle, especially if something of value can be seen from the outside. This forced entry creates a greater chance of the thief being caught due to the noise and is therefore far less common.”

Police say valuable items, such as electronics and money, as well as any personal documents, should not be left in cars unattended, even for a short time.

Kingston police say the most common things would-be thieves look for are vehicles left running, unlocked doors or trunk, visible bags of any sort, visible electronics, phone chargers, loose change, sunglasses, tools, watches and jewelry, and easy access to the trunk from the vehicle cab.

“Locked or unlocked a vehicle is not a safe place to leave your valuables,” police said.

“Cancelling credit/debit cards, dealing with potential identity fraud, and going through the process of obtaining new financial cards and identification is not only a significant inconvenience, it can also be a costly mistake.”