WINDSOR, ONT. -- As Crime Prevention Week wraps up, Essex County OPP officers canvassed a Kingsville neighbourhood Saturday offering tips and techniques to help residents avoid becoming a victim of crime.
“I generally lock it, there’s no signs of break and enter. I don’t know. I must have left it open that night I guess,” says Kingsville resident, Maurice Cote.
Cote has been living on Woodycrest Avenue in Kingsville for five years and says he never had a problem with theft until Halloween night.
“That’s the first time they broke into my truck and stole,” he said. “I had a change purse in there, a hunting knife and a few other things that I can’t remember that were in the console of the floor but that all disappeared.”
Cote is one of a number of residents OPP officers are reaching out to as part of the “Lock It or Lose It” campaign. The province-wide crime prevention program encourages residents to take a few simple precautions to protect their vehicles and valuables from theft.
“Is the garage down, is the car locked, is the shed locked, is the house locked?” says Constable Amanda Allen with Essex County OPP. “Theft is one of our highest crime in all our towns. It’s one that is hopefully easily preventable by taking the extra initiatives.”
Allen encourages residents to report all thefts big or small.
“It’s really important that we know where the theft took place, it helps our officers on patrol and it also helps us with initiatives like this. We know where we need to concentrate our efforts just a friendly reminder to our community to lock it or lose it,” says Allen.
Cote hopes the campaign will prevent others from falling victim to theft.
“It’ll help to remind you to keep everything locked up and close your garage doors,” says Cote
