Learn not to be a victim of summer crime

In the wake of nighttime thefts from two unlocked vehicles in the Prospect Hill area of Lebanon this week, area law enforcement officials are urging residents to take steps to protect their cars and homes from burglary during the summer by taking a few easy steps.

Lt. Louis Nyitray, commander of Maine State Police Troop A in Alfred; and Milton Police Chief Richard Krauss both stressed that the No. 1 thing people can do to avert thefts from vehicles is to lock your vehicle and make sure all valuables are removed from them.

At the very least, Nyitray said, make sure any valuables in your vehicle are out of sight.

Call for service from State Police in Lebanon spiked 20 percent from April to May, and Krauss said a 20 percent increase in crime in Milton can be expected for the summer.

There’s more crime, the lawmen said, for the simple reason more people are out and about.

Kids are out of school, residences are left unattended as homeowners go on vacation and for a whole plethora of other reasons, crime takes a hike in the warmer months.

But there are many safeguards you can take advantage of to protect your property, they say.

Besides locking your car at night and removing all valuables, it’s also a good idea to leave it in a lighted area, or in a garage if you have one, Nyitray said.

Other than car break-ins, the most prevalent property crimes in summer is related to house burglaries, but both Nyitray and Krauss said there are lots of things you can do to lessen the chances you’re a victim.

Nyitray suggests leaving some loud music on when you’re gone a few hours, or parking you vehicles in different places before you depart. Try to make it look like someone’s there, he added.

Krauss said everyone likes to leave their windows open in the summer to keep their house cooler, but if you do, raise the window just a few inches and put a board above it so it won’t open farther. He said you can do the same thing with a sliding glass door.

Nyitray said home burglaries are usually done by people looking for an “easy way in and an easy way out. If you make it so they have to break something, that’ll make some noise. They don’t want that,” he said.

He also suggested cutting down bushes and underbrush that obscure the view from the road and having an understanding with neighbors to keep an eye on each other’s properties.

If you see anything suspicious it’s best to call police, rather than trying to stop a thief yourself, Krauss said.

He also said it’s a good idea to write down serial numbers of all electronics as thieves can often be caught when they try to fence stolen items.