Okotoks RCMP are warning residents not to be victims due to an increase of vehicle break ins.

In November police checked the door handles of 364 vehicles in Okotoks and found that about 14% of them were left unlocked.

Cst. Mark Gander says the thefts that are occurring may be opportunities of crime.

"People are going through neighbourhoods and checking door handles and if the door was open obviously they'd rummage through the vehicle and find whatever they could find and take things such as tools, laptops, purses, or garage door opens for an opportunity to break into a home at a later time, personal documents, and healthcare cards."

AMA worked with RCMP on this project and left these pamphlets in vehicles that were left unlocked.

Gander says there's not a specific reason they're able to pinpoint for the increase.

"Sometimes specific crime rates are up and others are down, it's just all over the place," he says. "Regardless of whether crime's up or down it's one of those things, especially this, it's a crime of opportunity so regardless of statistics if someone's out and about and there's an opportunity and it's given to them, they may not have been looking for it but they might take it."

RCMP recommend keeping doors locked, windows up, parking in a lit area, and removing valuables from vehicles.

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