On Wednesday, Coquitlam Mounties reported 30 vehicle break-ins in the neighbourhood, all happening sometime overnight.
Photograph by: NOW , file
It wasn't the best start to the morning for more than a dozen motorists living in the Westwood Plateau area.
On Wednesday, Coquitlam Mounties reported 30 vehicle break-ins in the neighbourhood, all happening sometime overnight.
In most cases, car windows were smashed and in some cases thieves made off with items like wallets.
The rash of thefts from vehicles has the RCMP making a concerted effort to find the suspects, including using the force's prolific target team.
"This is quite a bit, especially since this all happened overnight," RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung told The NOW.
Investigators have no suspects or witnesses to the incidents, but police are reminding residents to call if they see anything suspicious.
"I can't stress this enough: if you see something, call us," Chung said.
Police are also reminding residents to leave nothing in their vehicles and park in a safe place.
The detachment sent out this tweet regarding the incidents Wednesday: "cqrcmp #CompStat: 30 theft fr auto incidents reported overnight. Call 911 if you see something susp."
This is the second time in a month Coquitlam RCMP have reminded the public about vehicle break-ins.
At the end of February, police dealt with 20 thefts-from-car files in a 24-hour period.
Thieves made off with everything from laptops to cat food, but in those incidents the locations were spread throughout PoCo and Coquitlam. Chung said it's too early to tell if the two sprees are related.
He also noted the number of thefts from autos has been stable over the first three months of 2013.
Police have once again offered several theft prevention tips to vehicle owners:
. Lock your vehicle and put valuables out of sight, preferably in the trunk, or bring them into the house at night.
. Don't leave your garage opener and vehicle registration in your vehicle. If thieves take those two items, they will probably break into your home.
. Thieves will break into any vehicle if they think there is something of value inside.
Thieves know that briefcases or backpacks may contain wallets, identifications, tablets and other electronic devices.
. After removing valuables from view, lock your car doors. This will discourage some of the more casual thieves, the ones looking for easy targets. It will also deter those who would go into an unlocked car to look for a trunk or hood-release button in order to steal auto parts or the contents of the trunk.
. When parking at home, always use your garage if you have one, and lock both your vehicle and your garage. If you don't have a garage or when parking at work or your local mall, try to park in a well-lit, open place.
. If you see something, say something. Call 911 and stay on the line if you see or hear something that seems unusual or suspicious.
