PEMBROKE — The Upper Ottawa Valley OPP is reminding motorists and passengers to Lock it or Lose it when it comes to their vehicles and valuables as part of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police’s (OACP) Lock It OR Lose It campaign.
On Sunday, November 4, auxiliary OPP officers conducted checks of vehicles parked at several local arenas including the Petawawa Civic Centre, the Pembroke Memorial Centre and the Pembroke and Area Community Centre. 210 vehicles were checked and 23 vehicles were found to be unlocked and insecure. Several unlocked vehicles were observed to have valuables in plain view including hockey equipment, money, electronics, and cell phones. A wallet and purse were also observed to be in plain view.
During the Lock It OR Lose It campaign, police officers, auxiliary officers, and crime prevention personnel will examine parked vehicles to confirm they are locked and that no valuables have been left in plain view. They place a small notice on vehicles checked indicating what safety precautions were neglected and offer simple prevention tips for drivers to protect their vehicles against theft. The notices also congratulate drivers who have secured their vehicle. The Upper Ottawa Valley OPP will use Lock It OR Lose It notices throughout the year as part of our on-going crime prevention efforts.
Motorists and passengers are also urged not to keep personal documents such as vehicle ownership, liability pink slips, credit card invoices, or other documents containing personal information in their vehicles. Identity thieves are looking for such documents, so they can assume identities, secure credit card accounts, lease vehicles for export, and even take out a mortgage against victims’ properties without their knowledge.
