Mission vehicles are being ransacked at an increased rate, according to local RCMP.
Now they’ve issued a warning that comes with maps of where these crimes are happening.
“The following two map overlays indicate where an increase in theft from and of autos have been occurring over the last six weeks,” reads a tweet by the Mission RCMP. “Please keep all valuables including garage door openers out of vehicles if at all possible.”
You can see the two maps attached to this story. The map below shows theft from vehicles, a common crime for thieves looking for a quick score. Just smash the window and grab whatever is visible.
The theft from vehicles map shows these crimes are centered in downtown Mission, with Cedar Street and Second Avenue being the epicentre and then expanding out.
With cold weather arriving, there is another warning to not make life easy for thieves.
Mission police officers always want to be helpful citizens and make people’s lives and jobs easier, but not for car thieves. Unfortunately, this has been happening every winter.
The Mission RCMP have previously warned about a trend regarding the way cars are being stolen. There have been several instances in the past where residents will start their cars in order to warm them up and leave them running.
A running, warm vehicle with unlocked doors is an easy target for car thieves.
There are ways to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.
Command start is a convenient option that allows you to start your vehicle remotely and keep your doors locked. However, given the associated cost to install this may not be a financially viable option.
A second and less expensive way to deal with this issue is to use a second key. If you need to warm up your vehicle in the morning, start the vehicle with your first key and lock the doors. When your vehicle is warm and you are ready to leave, use your second key to manually unlock your door.
If you’ve been the victim of auto theft or have information regarding a theft, please contact the Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161.
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