Drumheller RCMP remind residents not to get careless about their vehicles in colder weather

(Supplied/RCMP)

With the weather shifting and extra opportunities for criminals to swipe vehicles arising, the RCMP in Drumheller say some extra common sense should be shown.

Mounties in the east-central Alberta community suggest:

Ensuring vehicle doors are locked when you leave it, even if only for a short time;

Not leaving keys inside a vehicle, such as a spare key in the ignition; and

Not leaving any other high-value items inside a vehicle, such as purses, cell phones, etc.

"With the colder weather approaching, Drumheller RCMP would like to remind citizens not to leave running vehicles unattended with the keys inside for the purposes of warming up the engine," police said in a release on Monday.

"A large portion of vehicles are stolen either while running unattended or due to owners leaving the keys in the vehicle overnight.

"Don’t make your vehicle an easy target, consider using block/coolant heaters on a timer instead of idling."