Guelph Police aren’t quite sure what to make of a spike in thefts from vehicles, other than it reinforces the message to lock your car doors and keep anything of value out of sight.
A recent one-week span saw a total of 58 reports of theft from vehicles, almost three times what the weekly average was last year.
“It is an ongoing issue, but it seems to have ramped up, unfortunately,” said Guelph Police spokesperson Const. Kyle Grant.
It’s not one part of town, it’s not any particular night.
“That’s the other thing, it’s happening everywhere. It’s not just in the downtown core, the south end, the east end. We’re seeing it all around our city,” Grant said.
Why? is the question.
“To be completely honest, I’m not sure,” Grant said, wondering if perhaps the fact that people have more time on their hands right now, and are home more, they are more likely to report the crime, either by phone to Guelph Police or online.
“I’m not positive as to why we’re seeing a spike right now … perhaps people are reporting it to us more now, but I’m purely speculating.”
Thefts from vehicles has been a growing concern in the city.
In 2019 there were 1,158 reports filed with police, an average of more than three a day. That total was up 251 from the previous year.
One thing that is for certain is that people can help prevent the crime by locking their car doors.
Of the 56 reported car thefts in one week recently highlighted by police, in 52 of the occurrences the vehicle was left unlocked.
“It’s a crime of opportunity that we’re seeing. The vast majority of the time, when these thefts happen, it’s because the culprit had the opportunity because the vehicle was left unlocked,” Grant said.
“That’s not going to be true everytime,” he said, adding that usually when a vehicle is actually broken into – by smashing a window or prying a door open – it is because the car was locked but something of value was left in view.
Videos have shown that in the majority of cases the culprits are going from vehicle to vehicle checking car doors. When it’s locked, they usually move on.
“We really advise the public to please never leave valuables in their cars and to please lock their vehicles,” Grant said.
Police also advise those who notice a break-in to their vehicle, even if nothing is stolen, to report it to police via online reporting or through the non-emergency police number: 519-824-1212.
