Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in the number of vehicle break-ins and thefts in recent months. Although this can sometimes be attributed to the usual uptick of crime in the warmer months, this doesn’t mean you can’t do some things to help prevent it and not become a victim of the criminal element who choose to steal from others rather than work like the rest of us.
A good thing to remember is always lock your vehicle when you’re not around, whether it’s day or night. It’s always a good idea to not leave items of value inside your vehicle at all, but if you do then please lock it and hide the items from view. Although a vast majority of thefts from vehicles happen via an unlocked door, they do occasionally break windows to gain access if they see something valuable.
Most people don’t think of credit card statements as being valuable, but if a criminal gets a hold of your account numbers they can use them to their advantage. It is important to remember not to leave them in your car along with anything else that might have your social security number or other personal information on it.
When out shopping it is always a good idea to park your car in a well lit area that has lots of pedestrian traffic near it. With the light shining on it, and the people around, it makes your vehicle not as appealing of a target to a criminal and chances are they will move on to another more vulnerable one. This idea is also beneficial at home where you can park near street lights or install motion lights outside your home near where you park your car.
We are encouraging all citizens to please watch out for each other and to report any suspicious activity. The neighborhood watch concept can pay dividends in preventing and catching suspects responsible for these types of crimes. Citizen’s are encouraged to immediately contact the police department if they witness something they think is potentially suspicious, because we would rather investigate something that turns out to be nothing versus missing the chance to apprehend those responsible.
We are going to conduct another National Night Out on October 1st for the neighborhoods that didn’t get to participate over the summer, and it would be a good time to sign up your area if you missed it before. This is a night for citizens to take a stand against crime in their neighborhoods and to commit to being an extra set of eyes to alert us to criminal activity.
Officers cannot be everywhere at once therefore through the neighborhood watch program we are able to provide more effective enforcement to the community. If you’re interested in participating on Oct. 1st then call Officer Richey at 501-776-5948 and speak with him about signing up today.
The criminal element is always looking for the path of least resistance that requires the smallest amount of effort and risk of getting caught, so please help us combat thefts and break-ins by making yourself a harder target. Hopefully, by looking out for one another and helping send the message to criminals that we won’t tolerate this behavior we can further enhance the quality of life in our community. Stay Safe Out There.
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benton-Police-Department/221829174560849