A rash of trailer thefts in the central Ontario region has the OPP concerned.
As a result, the OPP recommend some simple anti-theft techniques to keep your property safe.
Sergeant Jason Folz says it seems thieves are taking advantage of people’s closed utility trailers being left largely unattended, with reports of recovered and missing trailers leading the way with OPP news releases in recent weeks.
“People need to lock up their trailers and their important items,” stresses Folz. “These are trailers that house a lot of equipment for contractors, recreational equipment such as snowmobiles and motorcycles and easy pickings for thieves to just back up with a truck and hook on and away they go with the whole trailer.”
A lot of times the owners of this equipment don’t even know it has gone missing because it might be parked at the cottage where there is little or no supervision of their property.
Folz recommends something as simple as a lock for the trailer.
“They sell some really high-quality tongue locks for trailers,” he explains. “(The lock) slips on and maybe a thief goes on to the next (trailer). They also sell wheel locks and those kinds of things.”
He says where you park a trailer is equally important.
“Something simple like parking it in a well-lit area,” Folz offers. “You can actually see it from your property or have somebody that can watch that property for you as well would be helpful.”
If your trailer does get stolen, having it stand out in some way makes it easier for the police to identify when they have received a bulletin about the missing equipment.
“In locating those kinds of trailers the ones that are easily identifiable with trailer wraps or certain numbers or decals on those things to make them quickly identifiable to our officers to be able to spin around and check out a trailer is an advantage for us,” says Folz.