Victoria Police are warning drivers to keep valuables out of sight when parking downtown.
Theft from vehicles rose 25 per cent in 2017 throughout Esquimalt and Victoria, according to the police. The majority of thefts occurred due to items that were left in plain sight.
Victoria Police spokesperson, Matthew Rutherford says that anything left in your car can cause temptation to thieves.
“You should keep everything out of sight, but especially with what we’ve been seeing, people have been reporting lap tops being left in their vehicle and all these items are just in plain view of a criminal walking down the street or walking in a parkade,” Rutherford said.
“It’s good to remove everything from your vehicle, don’t leave any temptation for anybody, but especially remove those high value items that the criminals will see and then they will break into your vehicle.”