This year during Auto Crime Enforcement Month the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT), are asking vehicle owners to take a moment to think about how they can help prevent auto crime.
The theme T.H.I.N.K. About Auto Crime encourages drivers to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their vehicles.
T.H.I.N.K. is an acronym for:
T - Take your valuables
H - Hide valuables out of plain sight
I - Immobilize your vehicle
N - Never idle unattended
K - Key Security (keep track of your keys)
The T.H.I.N.K. acronym reminds vehicle owners of the proactive ways they can keep their vehicles safe and protect their vehicles from becoming crimes of opportunity.
If owners and drivers T.H.I.N.K. ahead and have taken safety precautions such as making sure the doors are locked and any personal valuables have been secured or hidden out of sight, then auto crime can be prevented from occurring, says Insp. Rob Vermeulen, Officer in Charge of IMPACT. We encourage vehicle owners to follow a routine whenever they park their vehicle, ensuring they are locked and use T.H.I.N.K. as a checklist and a crucial reminder.
Once again this year, IMPACT and ICBC are promoting the ‘9pm Routine’ which encourages vehicle owners to check on their vehicle each night at 9pm to ensure it is safe and secure and all measures are made to avoid being a victim of auto crime.
The statistics from the past year show a 0.2 per cent increase in auto theft across British Columbia with a 4.4% increase outside Metro Vancouver.
This past year also saw a 4.3 per cent increase in theft from auto across British Columbia and a 12.0 percent increase outside of Metro Vancouver.
Some helpful tips include:
More safety tips can be found here: http://www.baitcar.com/prevention