Reminder: Important tips to protect your vehicle from car thieves

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, January 13, 2020      2:54pm 

(Ottawa) – Ottawa Police continue to be concerned with the risk of thefts of high-end Lexus/Toyota vehicles in Ottawa, particularly larger SUVs and 4Runners including the Tacoma. 

We remind car owners of the following tips to protect their vehicle:

• Make your vehicle less vulnerable to theft by parking it in a locked garage and or blocking it in tightly with a second vehicle.
• Consider installing an after market anti-theft device.
• Be vigilant that no one has tampered with the door locks mechanisms.
• Consider installing a club.
• If you are selling your vehicle, be wary not to let anyone have access to your car keys or your vehicle out of your sight. This prevents a thief from copying your key during a “test drive” so they can return to steal it.
• The onus is on the registered owner of a vehicle to ensure that the person they let drive their vehicle has a valid driver’s license.  As such, request to see their driver’s license prior to allowing them to test drive your vehicle. This gives you an opportunity to note the person’s identity and home address. 
• Further to that, note the license plate and vehicle description of any individuals who attend your home to enquire about a car for sale.
• Finally, good old fashioned neighbourhood watch is a great deterrent.  Call 911 to report any suspicious activity; be vigilant. 

Although we have not seen the use of signal amplifiers in Ottawa, we recommend a line of defense. Consider keeping any vehicle with a proximity key fob inside a radio frequency shield device (RSF device).  This will prevent the key fob’s signal from being amplified to the vehicle from inside the house protecting it from being driven away. 

More safety tips are available online.

- 30 - 

CONTACT:

Media Relations Section                  

Tel: 613-236-1222, ext. 5366