Leaving vehicle unlocked with keys in ignition could end in tragedy

It is just a matter of time.

One day a thief will walk by an unattended vehicle, notice the keys are in the ignition, steal it and the ramifications will go far beyond a simple insurance claim.

“It could be tragic. Someone could be seriously hurt or even killed,” said Barrhead’s RCMP Detachment commander Sgt. Bob Dodds.

As of July 6, there have been 54 vehicle thefts in the area. It’s a trend that has continued to increase in recent years starting in 2013, the numbers of vehicle thefts, from January to June, were 14, 17, 42, 42 and 54 respectively. The RCMP report includes attempted vehicle thefts in this category. Out of those 54, Dodds estimated 40 were stolen and one third to half are crimes of opportunity and can easily be prevented, meaning they were either unlocked and/or with keys in the ignition.

One of the latest being July 4, when a worker on the road construction project on 54 Avenue, left his truck unattended with the engine running.

“Within minutes some goofball comes along jumps in it and the truck is stolen,” he said, adding the worker was fortunate that truck was recovered a day later, no worse for wear in Edmonton.

“The scariest part of this is that the complainant described the truck leaving town, towards Manola at 100 m.p.h. Look at the public risk. Our families are on these streets and roads and here is this guy driving a stolen truck at a high rate of speed, who knows what could have happened.”

Dodds gave another example in Edmonton where the driver of a stolen vehicle, after spotting the police, started driving erratically causing a collision, which resulted in a death.

“I’m not sure if, in this case, the theft was readily preventable, but it is something we see all the time and I don’t know about you but I would feel just horrible if my vehicle had been involved in an accident that caused someone to be seriously hurt or killed and I could have done something to prevent it,” he said, adding motor vehicle accidents are only part of the risk, saying criminals often steal cars to aide them in other illegal activities.

Dodds is also concerned that a person will be hurt or killed attempting to apprehend the thief.

“That is the one thing we [police] are starting to see more of, is victims or the public trying to chase these guys down. The police don’t chase them, because of concerns over public safety, even though we have the authority to do it,” he said. “The public don’t have the authority to chase them, but they are and will have some tragic consequences when, not if, someone gets hurt.”

That being said, it isn’t all bad news, the RCMP are seeing an overall decrease in crime.

Using January to June as a comparison, Dodds said the total persons crimes has decreased from 101 in 2016 to 94 this year, which is more in line with the five-year average.

“And I would say property crimes are actually below the five year average, which is good news and if you take those 54 vehicle thefts out of there we are way below average,” he said.

As police, we tend to always focus on the negatives, but really what we are seeing out there in the community is good,” he said.

County of Barrhead councillors heard Dodds concerns regarding the increasing vehicle theft trend during his quarterly report during their July 4 meeting.

“I’m frustrated with it for a number of reasons. It is embarrassing to have that many [vehicle] thefts reported here and it is frustrating to note how many of those are vehicles with the keys in them, the doors unlocked and a number still running,” he said, adding the majority of vehicle thefts happen in the downtown area.

“We had two in one day where people ran into stores and left their cars parked and running. When they came out the vehicles were gone. We have to take responsibility for our actions. If I leave my wallet out, should I be surprised if it was stolen? No.”

However, deputy reeve Bill Lee said it is not solely the responsibility of the vehicle owners.

“If a girl is not wearing her clothes properly, you don’t accuse her for what happens, so you can’t accuse a farmer for leaving a vehicle with its keys. I don’t buy it. If you’re an honest person, you don’t do these kinds of things,” Lee said.

Dodds agreed.

“There’s culpability on both ends. Thieves are out there and we have to take some measures to minimize the chances of our stuff being stolen,” he said.

Dodds added a number of vehicle thefts also happen in rural areas on farms, including one while a farmer was seeding.

“Can you take the time to take the keys out of your truck before you get in the tractor to go seed? I know it is a pain in the neck but at the same time, we shouldn’t be leaving the keys in our vehicles. It doesn’t matter where you live, whether it is in the county or downtown. Years ago we could, but not anymore,” he said, adding the provincially run insurance corporation in Saskatchewan is going to stop paying insurance claims when you leave your keys in the vehicles.

“To me, that is the only way we can reduce the number of stolen vehicles around here. It is an issue that something needs to be done about,” Dodds said, adding the detachment is watching several individuals and have seen the trend of vehicular thefts slow down because of sentences.