‘Lock your car doors at night,’ police see spike in reports of car thievery

A person locking their car door. (CTV)

“Overnight thefts from unlocked motor vehicles are continuing to be reported to police and these are thefts that are preventable,” stated the Barrie Police in a Friday release.

Police are reminding car owners to lock their vehicles at night. Officials say, recent reports have been received and opportunistic thieves are out checking for unlocked car doors that are parked in driveways.

“Thieves are targeting these vehicles and are obtaining wallets and purses that often contain personal documentation, laptops, sunglasses, loose change and items of value that are left behind,” police continued.

Officials say they are conducting patrols in neighborhoods throughout Barrie. They appreciate home security video, although, residents are not obligated to share the footage with police.

“Homeowners, who have security cameras are encouraged to join the CamSafe program which was launched late last year. This program, which replaces the Security Camera Program allows participating police agencies to quickly locate registered security cameras in their communities,” stated officers.

CamSafe allows residents to create their own account and add any cameras they have, which can be modified at any time.

Police say they don’t have access to home owner’s camera feeds and residents will only be contacted if an incident occurs in their area.