An update has been provided by the Halton Police on a series of vehicle thefts in a Milton neighbourhood.
Its CityProtect crime map had shown four vehicle thefts in the area of McCuaig Drive.
The HRPS says that three of the four vehicles had successfully been taken from driveways. The fourth vehicle has damage to the door handle and ignition, which the Halton Police says are signs of an attempted theft.
All four vehicles were Lexus RX5 models.
The email from the HRPS says that there have been roughly 10 Lexus/ Toyota SUVs (2018 and newer) stolen in the past two weeks in Milton.
Investigators believe that these vehicles are being stolen with some sort of relay switch as they were all locked and keys (fobs) are accounted for. No arrests have been made.
Residents are being asked to implement the following vehicle theft prevention tips:
- Park your vehicle within a locked/secure garage as the majority of the vehicles are stolen from residential driveways;
- If a garage is not accessible, park another vehicle behind it in the driveway to act as a physical barrier to its removal;
- Lock the data port using a simple device that can be purchased online and blocks access to the computer port where thieves gain access to reprogram the vehicle’s keys;
- Invest in an aftermarket global positioning system tracker or have one installed by the dealer, as it may assist in recovery of the vehicle if it is stolen;
- Ensure your unattended vehicle(s) are locked and secure;
- Never leave spare keys in your vehicle;
- Never leave spare keys outside of your residence;
- When not in use, place vehicle keys inside a radio frequency shielding bag/pouch to block cell signals;
- Equip your vehicle with an alarm;
- Use other devices to deter thefts (e.g. steering wheel locking device);
- Consider purchasing a quality video surveillance system and ensure your cameras are properly placed and functioning for 24-hour use.
