What keeps police chiefs up at night

Top 10 list highlights crimes and tips to avoid being a victim

WATERLOO REGION — The No. 1 crime that worries Ontario police chiefs is residential break-and-enters.

In Waterloo Region, there were 960 break-and-enters in area homes in 2015, and 908 in 2016, while residential break-ins to garages and sheds amounted to 454 in 2015 and 429 in 2016.

“Property crimes are going up from the first time in a decade,” Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin said in an interview Tuesday.

Larkin was in Toronto on Tuesday morning for a media conference with the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police to announce their top 10 list of crimes that keep police officers up at night.

Larkin, who is vice-president of the provincial association, said the list highlights crimes that happen frequently and crimes that have a greater potential for victims.

“The list highlights 10 areas where citizens can help us,” he said.

Other crimes in the Crime Prevention campaign, called Shoulda Woulda Coulda: Crime Prevention Starts with You, include: Impaired/drugged driving Cyber crime/identity theft Fraud — online exchanges Thefts from vehicles and theft of vehicles Theft of bicycles Theft from garages, lockers, mailboxes, sheds, and front porch deliveries

Assaults (awareness of surroundings to prevent assaults) Pharmacy thefts/robberies Theft of prescription drugs. Larkin said the list stems from crime data collected by police services as well as a look at what keeps front-line police officers busy.

When police arrive at homes after they’ve been broken into, often the homeowner says, “I should have done this,” said Larkin.

“It sounds silly to keep telling people to lock their doors, but a lot of car thefts happen to cars that are not locked,” he said.

When it comes to online shopping, don’t allow packages to be delivered at your door when you’re not home, he said.

“The reality is that if a person is going through your neighbourhood, you have given them an opportunity to commit crime,” Larkin said, referring to boxes of merchandise left on front porches that are ordered online.

And each day, thousands of Canadians fall prey to online scams.

“The number of phishing scams is increasing. If it’s too good to be true, it is,” he said.