It takes less than a minute for a thief to break your car window and snatch your iPad, laptop, or purse on the front seat. Think about that the next time you dash in a store to buy a coke or bread. Don’t allow yourself to become a statistic. Car break-ins are a huge problem especially at shopping malls, schools and the airport. SECURICO offers some common sense habits and tips for preventing car break-ins. – Keep your car visible – Park in well-lit areas and preferably near an on-duty parking lot attendant. Avoid having your car concealed by larger vehicles or trees. – Don’t make it easy – Keep your car alarm on, windows and sunroofs closed and doors locked. Almost one-fourth of thefts from vehicles are from unlocked cars. – Hide your valuables – Experienced thieves often stake out parking lots to watch for people putting items in their trunk. Help prevent car break-ins by putting valuables like laptops, messenger bags, and electronic devices into your trunk before you get to the parking lot. – Central locking system: Do not be over confident in your central locking system; physically check if all doors are locked especially when locking the vehicle via remote NB: We have had cases of car burglars immobilizing remote signals thereby preventing the vehicle from locking. – Trust your instincts – If you see suspicious activity or persons, find another spot to park and inform security at that place. – Keep your vehicle tidy – Almost any worthless personal item that’s visible from the outside–even an empty shopping bag–could be seen as a valuable or a carrier of valuables. By keeping your vehicle tidy a burglar will not confuse worthless things for valuables. – Pick a parking spot where there is a lot of activity. Auto thieves prefer breaking into cars in isolated areas. – One of the “hottest” items that thieves are targeting is the GPS system in your vehicle. Take the whole unit out of your vehicle including the mounting bracket. Don’t leave your vehicle unattended with the GPS system in plain sight and also wipe the windscreen so that the suction marks left from the system are wiped away.
As always be security conscious, this is what separates you from being the statistic.
