Harjinder Dhaliwal put snow tires on his car for safety reasons.

But when the 24-year-old awoke Wednesday morning to find thieves had snatched them from his Hyundai Elantra and left the car on jacks, he felt violated and unsafe in his own neighbourhood.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was so surprised someone would do this,” he said of the incident on Kingknoll Drive near McLaughlin Road South. “It was a rude awakening to the morning.”

The Sailun winter tires were stolen sometime between 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, and 6 a.m. Wednesday, Dhaliwal said.

Related Content An average 7 vehicles are stolen every day in Brampton, Mississauga

Peel police are looking into the theft, which sadly is part of a disturbing trend in the region — thefts from vehicles are on the rise.

The most recent police data shows that in 2017, there were 3,932 thefts from motor vehicles in Mississauga and Brampton, up four per cent from the 3,757 incidents in 2016. In 2015, there were 3,554 such incidents in Peel and in 2014, police reported 2,946 thefts from vehicles.

Police are advising residents to consider buying wheel locks from a dealership or auto-parts store, which are installed in place of your lug nuts and have a special key for removal.

Officers say it’s also a good idea to park with your wheels turned on an angle as it makes it much more difficult to get the tires off. They advise parking in a closed garage whenever possible.

Police say auto thefts are also up — by 21 per cent in 2018 — and there has been a corresponding drop in the number of those stolen vehicles police are able to recover.

Anyone with information can call police at 905-453-3311 .

