One item to add to your Sunday Terrace shopping checklist

If you're making the run down highway 16 today to do a little pre-Christmas shopping the Terrace RCMP have one item for you to put at the top of your list.

Always, make sure that you have locked your car whenever you head into the many shopping emporiums that the Terrace merchants have to offer.

Sunday will see a one day blitz of the city by both Regular and Auxiliary Terrace RCMP and members, checking car doors to make sure that owners have safeguarded their vehicles while shopping or dining.

Lock Out Auto Crime is an educational program supported by ICBC to draw attention to the high rate of thefts from vehicles. Volunteers audit parking lots looking for vehicles with visible valuables, garage door openers, open windows or doors that are left unlocked.

All vehicles are given a crime prevention notice (which is left on the windshield), either thanking owners for securing their vehicle properly, or providing auto crime prevention tips.

"We all have a role to play in keeping our belongings safe ... Taking the time to lock vehicle doors and ensure valuables are out of sight can save you a lot of time and heartache down the road." -- Constable Crystal Evelyn, Terrace RCMP’s Community Liaison and Crime Prevention Officer.

The Terrace detachment also offers up a Top Ten Tips list to held reduce your chances of being impacted by Auto Crime, a bit of helpful information that travels nicely down the highway to Prince Rupert.

10 Tips to Avoid Auto Crime

1. Keep your spare keys in your wallet, not in your car. 
2. Invest in a good anti-theft device. 
3. Close windows and lock doors. Take your possessions with you. 
4. Avoid parking behind fences or hedges. 
5. At home, light your driveway all night. Elsewhere, park in well lit areas near pedestrian traffic. 
6. After opening an automatic gate to underground parking, watch out for thieves waiting to slip inside. 
7. Wait for the gate to close behind you. 
8. Engrave your stereo and other onboard valuables with your driver’s license number. 
9. Install an anti-theft device to protect your stereo or buy a unit that is removable and take it with you when you park. 
10. If you see any suspicious person or activity near a vehicle, call the police immediately.

More background on their Sunday initiative in Terrace can be found here.

For a look at the work of Emergency Responders across the Northwest see our archive page here.