“Will it be safe?” is the question plaguing us these days whenever we leave our vehicles unattended in Williams Lake.
With a spike in theft from vehicles in the first month of 2020, the RCMP are reminding us not to leave valuables in our vehicles.
During a committee of the whole meeting this week, Williams Lake RCMP Insp. Jeff Pelley raised his hands in the air in frustration and told council there have been incidents of people leaving laptops in their cars.
Pelley did say he can understand why some people don’t want to lock their vehicles because of the cost of having to pay for new windows if they are smashed, but unfortunately car insurance won’t cover the theft if a vehicle is left unlocked.
Pelley also said if people realize a vehicle has been rummaged through, but nothing has been stolen, it is still important to report it to the police because that helps them map areas in the community that are being targeted by thieves.
People should be able to leave vehicles parked anywhere without having to worry about someone breaking into them, but unfortunately we do not live in a time where that is possible.
READ MORE: Theft of and from motor vehicles in Williams Lake increased in January 2020
Thieves are opportunists.
Some are addicts, desperately looking for ways to make money by selling your valuables.
Last week in the outskirts of the city two ATVs were stolen.
Within 24 hours of the owners posting a message and photo asking for the public to keep an eye out for them they were located.
There was even one funny incident where neighbours were noticing a vehicle with a plow and were worried, but it turned out to be a legitimate case of someone being hired to do a driveway
Nevertheless, it is heartening to see that people are watching out for each other in our community.
We need to remain vigilante so we can all enjoy a decrease in the numbers of times there is a theft from a vehicle, and theft of a vehicle for that matter.
-Williams Lake Tribune
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