Thefts from vehicles up 187 per cent in Burlington

Halton police say there has been a “significant increase” in reported thefts from vehicles this year.

As of June 18, there have been 341 reported incidents in which items were stolen from vehicles, up from 119 during the same period last year, police said. That’s a 187 per cent increase. In 219 of those cases, the vehicle was unlocked. In 59 cases, a window was smashed, and in 24 cases, a door frame or lock was forced open.

In 29 cases, licence plates were stolen, and in 10 cases, other parts of the car, such as tires and batteries, were stolen.

Nearly every community in Burlington has been targeted, police said. Police offer the following tips: always lock vehicles; never leave personal identification or valuables in the vehicle (or lock valuables out of sight in the trunk); park in well-lit areas when possible; never leave spare keys in the vehicle; remove GPS, power cords and other devices from view when you’re not in your vehicle

install surveillance and report suspicious activity.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747, ext. 2316. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 (TIPS).