(MUNICIPALITY OF WEST PERTH & TOWNSHIP OF PERTH EAST, ON) On Tuesday January 20, 2014, Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers received a number of calls from rural residents residing in the corridor from Nithburg to Monkton who reported that their unlocked vehicles had been entered and items had been stolen from inside.
Investigation revealed that sometime between 11 p.m. on Monday January 19th and 7 a.m. on Tuesday January 20th, three residents discovered that someone had walked onto their property and rummaged through the vehicles in their driveways. Items such as a wallet, change, sunglasses, CD’s, power cords and other small items were removed. All the victims advised that they had left their vehicles unlocked. One victim also admitted that one of the entered vehicles had the key in the ignition.
It is suspected that more vehicles may have been entered by the same culprit(s) during this time period however some residents may not have realized it or they could not be bothered to report it.
In the past OPP investigators have asked accused persons why they would enter and steal from a particular vehicle. The criminals themselves say, “we won’t waste our time breaking windows, causing noise, and run the risk of getting caught; we simply go along the road and look for a vehicle that is left unlockedâ€.
The Perth County OPP in response to these opportunistic crimes has promoted the “Lock It or Lose It†program for years. This program sponsored by the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police has done a lot to create greater awareness and encourages vehicle owners to take a few simple precautions that will protect their vehicles and their contents from theft. Vehicle owners are encouraged to; roll up their windows, remove valuables from the vehicle or keep them out of sight, lock their doors and pocket their keys.
Anyone with information about the theft from these vehicles is requested to contact the Perth County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), and you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000