ALBERTA - With another stretch of cold weather in the forecast, RCMP across Alberta are encouraging motorists to take precautions when warming up their vehicles.
This week, Alberta RCMP reported a decrease in thefts of a motor vehicle and thefts from a motor vehicle during the pandemic. When looking at the March to December time period for 2019 and comparing it to the same time period in 2020, urban detachments saw a 27 per cent decrease in theft from motor vehicle, and a 26 per cent decrease in theft of motor vehicles.
Rural detachments noted a 29 per cent decrease in theft from a motor vehicle, and a 21 per cent decrease in theft of motor vehicles.
"Despite these positive numbers, there is still room for improvement," according to RCMP.
From March to December of 2020, there were over 7,800 theft from motor vehicle offences, and over 7,100 theft of motor vehicle offences in the Alberta RCMP jurisdiction.
RCMP encourage people to lock their vehicles, remove all valuables, use a steering wheel lock, lock garages where vehicles are parked, remove garage door openers from vehicles, use a vehicle tracking system, park in well-lit areas, and never leave a vehicle running with the keys inside.
RCMP are using Valentine's Day as a way to promote the tips, and released a number of Valentine's Day-styled graphics to get the message across to Albertans.
RCMP encourage the public to report any criminal or suspicious activity to police.
