Grande Prairie’s recent cold weather has resulted in a yearly tradition for the RCMP, being its annual reminder to ensure vehicles are always locked if they are left unattended.
According to RCMP Corporal Troy Savinkoff, unattended vehicles lead to a significant spike in vehicle thefts every winter, with residents looking to beat the cold by leaving their cars running and unattended in public parking areas.
“Unattended vehicles that are left running, every year, especially in Alberta with the cold weather, is the primary circumstance of how motor vehicles are stolen,” he says. “Every year the RCMP is an active participant in Operation Cold Start which is a program that we’ll see coming out in the next couple weeks.”
Last year, the Operation Cold Start awareness initiative saw more than 1,800 unattended vehicles checked by law enforcement across the province, which proved the RCMP’s point as 521 were found to be unlocked with the keys still in them.
“It’s really just reinforcing that mantra to not leave your vehicles running, it just makes it so easy for criminals,” Savinkoff says.
The Corporal adds that vehicle thefts are largely a crime of opportunity, with many criminals simply taking advantage of the fact that several residents just want to make their morning commute a bit easier by warming up their cars; however, he says the consequences could be even worse than a missing vehicle.
“Lots of criminals, all they do when they want a vehicle is simply walk through a parking lot looking for a vehicle left unattended.”
“The most traumatizing thing that we do see is a vehicle unattended with young children inside,” he says. “Every year we have a few vehicles that get stolen with young children left inside, and I can tell you having responded to a few of those complaints on a few occasions, you’ll never see a parent panicking more than under those circumstances.”
All hope is not lost during the winter though. Savinkoff says simple steps like installing an auto car starter, or even simply locking a running vehicle while you’re away can make the difference between a toasty car ride and a new year’s headache.
“This technology is easy and not that expensive to install into a vehicle, and certainly if that’s something you want to do, warming up your vehicle, I absolutely suggest you do that,” he says. “Sometimes just simply leaving the vehicle locked, even with the keys in the ignition, is better than nothing.”
Savinkoff maintains that while vehicle thefts are “very common” during the winter months, it is also one of the most easily preventable.
