By Charles Lefebvre

AMA and police launch campaign to reduce vehicle thefts

May 9, 2018 | 5:03 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The Medicine Hat Police Service and the Alberta Motor Association are partnering up to spread and important message to Albertans: Lock It or Lose It.

The campaign aimed at reducing car theft in Alberta launched Wednesday afternoon.

“Today, we are rolling up the welcome mat to any thieves that might want to steal vehicles both within Medicine Hat and across the province,” said Jeff Kasbrick, vice president of government and stakeholder relations with AMA.

According to Statistics Canada, 23,000 vehicles were stolen in Alberta in 2016, more than three times the national average. In Medicine Hat, 155 vehicles were reported stolen in 2017.

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Constable David Chow with the Medicine Hat Police Service says a number of car thefts in Medicine Hat are crimes of opportunity, noting many had keys left inside at the time.

The campaign is encouraging people to take several steps to prevent vehicle in theft, including removing the keys, hiding and removing all valuables and locking the vehicle.

He says it’s important for people to take precautions to ensure their vehicles are not a target.

“It’s about protecting your property, and to lessen the opportunity that you’re going to become a victim of a crime,” he said. “The fact that, when you wake up in the morning, you expect your vehicle to be there. We don’t want to make it easier for criminals, we want to lessen those opportunities.”