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'Considering the circumstances ... this is best-case scenario,' Cole Cusitar said.
Leaving the keys inside led to nearly a third of the vehicle thefts reported to the Saskatchewan RCMP last year.
The Mounties on Thursday said the 1,519 vehicle theft files they opened in 2021 included 451 cases where the owners left the keys inside. That’s 29 per cent of the total.
“Some vehicles may be left running with keys inside as people warm them up and leave them to enter their home or a store for a brief moment, and return to find their vehicle gone,” the RCMP said in a media release. “It is important to always take the keys with you when you leave the vehicle.
“Hiding your keys inside or with the vehicle is as risky as leaving them in the ignition. With today’s push button start key fobs, the thief doesn’t even have to locate keys to steal your vehicle. Even if a key is needed, there are only so many hiding places in or on a vehicle and the thief is likely to find it.”
The RCMP said the thefts included cars, trucks, SUVs, ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles and other vehicles with a motor like tractors and skid steers.
According to the Mounties, 1,095 of the stolen vehicles eventually were found. Smaller vehicles that can be loaded into a trailer or a truck like ATVs or motorcycles had a lower recovery rate than cars, trucks and SUVs.
A total of 368 of the recovered vehicles were damaged, whether they were burned, stripped of parts or involved in a collision.
Police reminded owners to remove all valuables like bank cards and personal identification out of their vehicles, to remove garage door openers that could help someone get into the owner’s homes, and to take their keys out of their vehicles if they run out of fuel on the road.