Homeowners Beware

Dufferin County, ON (OPP - Dufferin Detachment) Since the beginning of November, different communities within Central Region Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have been targeted by thieves. The areas range from rural areas to the City of Barrie. The thefts include vehicles, ATV’s, electronics, personal identification and credit cards, cash, alcohol and other items. One of the common factors of these thefts is that the garage, the house or vehicles have been left unlocked.

Most of the victims had been home at the time and were sleeping when the suspects were in their residence, the garage or their vehicles.

Central Region OPP would like to remind all residence to take the extra time to lock garage doors, keep all entries into the house, including the garage entry locked. Place car keys in an area that is not easy to locate, including a bedside table, activate alarms prior to going to bed, and making sure all the outside and sensor lighting is functioning. Lock vehicles when they are not being used, and don’t leave anything valuable inside.

Taking these extra steps will help prevent you from becoming victims of crime.

For further tips on how to safeguard your residence and for tip sheets on community safety visit opp.ca.