THAT’S the message from Sunshine Coast police after a number of vehicles have been reported stolen, with a 31-year-old Caboolture man recently charged with stealing a vehicle from a Beerwah address.
He is currently on bail conditions and is set to appear in Caboolture Magistrates Court in April.
Police are urging the community to be diligent in locking their homes, and keeping keys out of sight with 17 vehicles having been stolen in just two weeks.
Police say that circumstances surrounding some of the vehicles stolen over the period include a residence being left unlocked, with the offender retrieving keys left in plain sight without disturbance; a vehicle left parked and unlocked with keys inside; two incidents involving a vehicle sitting idle in driveway, keys in ignition while owner retrieves something inside the home; a vehicle left unlocked whilst paying for fuel at a service station; and four incidents reported involving the car owner lending their vehicle to a person known to them and not returning it.
The message is to be cautious where you leave your keys – not in plain sight and not in the vehicle or outside near the vehicle. Do not leave your vehicle unattended whilst it is running and do not lend your vehicle to people who may have doubts about.