Kingston Police launch ‘Lock It OR Lose It’ campaign

Kingston Police are reminding motorists and passengers to ‘Lock It OR Lose It’ when it comes to their vehicles and valuables because Bad Santa’s are looking to ruin this holiday season.

The annual provincial ‘Lock It OR Lose It’ campaign is sponsored by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP), and Ontario police services are launching this year’s ‘Lock It OR Lose It’ campaign during the holiday season because “It’s easy to be distracted and leave vehicles unlocked or valuables in plain sight during this time of the year,” Kingston Police said in a press release on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018.

“Securing your vehicle and valuables makes sense year-round. But we know that would-be thieves are especially looking to play the role of Bad Santa during the holiday season by stealing your vehicle or valuables such as GPS and mobile devices, laptops, shopping bags, money and credit cards,” Police said.

“Don’t be a victim. Lock it or lose it.”

During the ‘Lock It OR Lose It’ campaign, police officers, Kingston Police Community Volunteers, and Kingston Police Youth-In-Policing students will check parked vehicles in local malls and the downtown area to ensure people are taking steps to keep their new belongings safe. They will place a small notice on all vehicles checked indicating what safety precautions were neglected and offer simple prevention tips for drivers to protect their vehicles against theft. The notices also congratulate drivers who have secured their vehicle.

Kingston Police and OACP are advising the public of the top 10 most common things people look for when breaking into or stealing a vehicle:

• Vehicles left running
• Unlocked doors or trunk
• Bags of any sort, especially shopping bags during the holiday season
• Visible electronics
• Visible phone chargers
• Loose change in view
• Sunglasses
• Tools
• Watches or other jewelry
• Easy access to the trunk from the vehicle cabin

“Motorists and passengers are urged not to keep personal documents such as vehicle ownership, liability pink slips, credit card invoices, or other documents containing personal information in their vehicles. Identity thieves are looking for such documents so they can assume identities, secure credit card accounts, lease vehicles for export, and even take out a mortgage against victims’ properties without their knowledge,” the press release said.