In July of 2018, the Evansville Police Department filed 46 auto theft reports. Of the 46 reports, 42 indicate the suspect had access to the keys. While these are just the July numbers, the trend repeats itself on a monthly basis.
In some cases, access to the keys was obtained when the owner allowed the suspect to drive the vehicle and the suspect failed to return it. In other cases, a spare key was left in the vehicle and was found by the suspect when they were rummaging through the car looking for valuables. Victims also reported their keys were taken by someone who had been visiting their residence. And lastly, vehicles were taken when the owner left the keys in the ignition.
Seeing that 91% of the cases involved access to the keys, we want to highlight the importance of controlling access to your keys. If people can’t get a hold of the keys, it greatly reduces the odds of them stealing the vehicle
.
Tips for controlling access to your vehilce keys-
Do not leave spare keys in or on your vehicle
Do not leave your keys lying around while hosting visitors
Do not leave keys in the ignition while away from the vehicle
Do not loan your vehicle to other people
These simple actions will help prevent you from being the victim of an auto theft. We also encourage vehicle owners to remove valuables from the vehicle and lock the doors.
