WHITEWATER REGION – The Upper Ottawa Valley Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (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 July 14, 2019 Auxiliary OPP officers conducted checks on vehicles parked at several recreational areas in Pembroke and Petawawa including marina/boat launches and soccer and baseball fields. Vehicles at both malls in Pembroke were also checked. A total of 531 vehicles were checked and 62 vehicles were found to be unlocked and insecure. Valuables such as identification, electronics, wallets, purses, sunglasses and sports equipment were observed to be in plain view. At boat launching areas, several boat trailers were not secured or locked to the tow vehicle. At Riverside Park in Pembroke an unlocked, unattended vehicle was left with the keys in the ignition.
During the Lock It OR Lose It campaign, police officers, auxiliary officers, and crime prevention personnel will examine parked vehicles to determine if 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.
