Lock it or lose it - be safe

Details

20 Aug

Lock it or lose it – do not become a target just because you “forgot”.

St. Pete police have been dealing with a rash of auto burglaries over the summer. The St. Petersburg Police Department estimates that 90 percent of all auto burglaries occur in unlocked vehicles. On one recent weekend, they received more than 20 calls about break ins. Police say the majority of burglaries are attributed to several groups of kids who roam around, looking for unlocked cars. The department made 71 arrests for auto burglary in July.

With that in mind, police are asking folks to remember to keep their car doors locked and to make sure valuables are left out of sight. That’s why they’re out in force, working to remind residents they can do their part to take a bite out of crime. Officers intended to walk door-to-door to hand out information on auto burglary prevention.

They also have an automated call scheduled to go out to residents. Here’s the text of the call’s message officers are hoping residents will take to heart: “This is a public safety alert from the St. Petersburg Police Department. We’ve seen an increase in car burglaries in your neighborhood. Almost all of the cases involved cars left unlocked. Please lock your car doors and keep valuables out of sight, especially between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. Call police if you see anyone suspicious in your neighborhood.”

Remember to lock it up and take valuables inside with you or store them locked and out of sight. Stay safe. It takes only a few seconds to lock things up. If you forget and lose it, it will take days and weeks or months of paperwork, insurance claims, forms, etc. and you may never see your stolen item again. Be safe – lock it up.