One of the most prevalent crimes in Delta is theft from vehicles. An incredible number of those thefts are from unlocked vehicles – people leave passports and nexus cards, expensive sunglasses, electronics and other valuable items out in plain sight. A lot of the time, all thieves have to do is open the door and help themselves.
Metro Vancouver used to be known as the bank robbery capital of North America. In the early 2000s bank robberies occurred about once a week, with a peak of 203 in 2004. But by 2015 they were down to less than 40 a year. Why? Banks got smart about protecting your money.
They employed everything from physical changes, such as higher counters, double doors and security guards, to high-tech solutions such as GPS tracking systems, dye packs, cash dispensing systems and high-resolution surveillance systems.
Most importantly, banks did not keep a lot of cash in their cash drawers, so the risk of robbing a bank was not worth the reward. Thieves got smart and moved into online crime, and banks responded by investing in chip technology, customer usage monitoring and continual upgrades to online banking security.
Because of all the systems in place in banks today, robbing one – or attempting to – won’t yield much compared to what a thief can steal from unlocked vehicles in Delta in one night. And this is where we need your help to reduce the frequency of theft from autos, the most prevalent property crime in our community.
Bad guys have figured us out – we are a trusting bunch who truly enjoy living in safe community. Many of us remember the days when we didn’t lock our front door and thefts were rare. While we are in a safe community, we do need to protect our personal property from criminals. Here are some easy tips to do just that:
• Never leave valuables in plain sight in your vehicle
• Park in well-lit areas
• If you have a garage, use it
• Do not keep the garage door opener in your vehicle
• Consider anti-theft devices such as clubs and smart keys
• Don’t leave your vehicle unattended while it is running
• Secure your insurance papers either in your trunk or in a locked compartment
• Never leave valuables in your vehicle (yes, that was repeated on purpose.)
Interestingly, you’ll notice that locking your vehicle is not on the list above. If you have no valuables in your car and it’s secured by a club or smart key, it is a shame if the window is smashed for no reason. The thought of a stranger rummaging around in your vehicle is awful, but if they smash the window and rummage around anyways, you’re paying to have the window replaced.
The Delta Police Department is committed to a philosophy of “no call too small.” We will come out to your theft from a vehicle and investigate it fully. But we need your help.
We are asking all residents of Delta to take a pledge, a commitment to not leave any valuables in your vehicle. As a resident of this community, I will be the first to take the “Leave it Empty” pledge. I would like to see more than 1,000 members of this community take the pledge on our website, deltapolice.ca. There is a security checklist on the pledge page to help you fulfill the obligations of the pledge.
In addition if you take the pledge you will be able to pick up your free rearview mirror placard. Together we will keep our community one of the safest in British Columbia.
Neil Dubord is the Delta Police Department’s chief constable. He joined the DPD on June 29, 2015 after three years as chief of the Metro Vancouver Transit Police and 25 years with the Edmonton Police Service where he was the Deputy Chief in charge of Community Policing Bureau.
