In order to cut down the number of break and enters and robberies in the City of Calgary, CPS is requesting all residents to establish a regular routine to make sure their property is secure every night before going to bed.
According to statistics, the summer months have 20 percent more break and enter incidents than in the winter and offenders have only needed to force their way into a home in 34 percent of those crimes.
Police also say that about half of all break and enters take place overnight, posing a serious risk for residents who may be inside sleeping when thieves gain entry.
To combat this trend, the Calgary Police Service is suggesting that all families should create a 9 p.m. Routine.
Originally conceived in Pasco County, Florida the strategy works on the principle to remind citizens to be conscious about security problems and protect themselves and their property.
“Every night before going to bed we want all citizens to get in the habit of double checking that their vehicles, property and residence are secure. Offenders will often go down a street checking vehicles and houses for doors left open. By simply locking your door you could avoid waking up to an intruder in your home,” Sergeant Matt Baker of the CPS Centralized Break and Enter Teams said in a release.
The routine recommends:
- removing all valuables from vehicles
- double checking the doors and windows on vehicles to ensure they are closed and secured
- closing garage doors and windows
- locking all doors of the home, including those in the garage
- shutting all windows of the home
- turning on an exterior light
$7.4M worth of property has been stolen from citizens during break-ins that have occurred since January 2018.
Between January and May 2017, there were 1,678 break and enters, 4,149 car prowlings and 2,592 stolen vehicles in the City of Calgary.
