Vehicle thefts nearly double from 2016 to 2017 in Lethbridge Mar 8, 2018 2:28 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Over the last two years, the number of vehicles stolen in Lethbridge has jumped from 172 in 2016, to 319 in 2017.

That’s why the Lethbridge Police Service is urging people to be more vigilant. Inspector Tom Ascroft says a lot of the thefts that are occurring in Lethbridge are preventable.

“The thing we’re finding is a lot of them [vehicles] have the keys left in the vehicle, so the vehicle is either running or people are hiding the keys in the vehicle, and it’s really not an effective strategy. Don’t do that.”

The thefts, he explains, are generally a ‘crime of opportunity,’ and most vehicles stolen are recovered locally.