Manhattan Beach police: Majority of last month’s car-related thefts were preventable
In January, 15 of the 18 vehicle-related thefts in Manhattan Beach could have been prevented by locking doors or hiding valuables from plain view, according to MBPD.
According to MBPD stats, nine incidents involved unlocked cars; five incidents involved valuables in plain view, and in one incident, a suspect used a hidden key to enter the car.
Police recorded two attempted entries with no loss reported and one forced entry with an unknown loss.
That makes 83 percent total of preventable vehicle-related crimes last month.
Several years ago, MBPD Chief of Police Eve Irvine launched the “Lock it or Lose it” campaign to raise awareness about the number of preventable crimes across the city. In a town hall meeting last February, Irvine explained that Manhattan Beach residents are often “lulled into a false sense of security.” In 2012, 92 percent of vehicle-related crimes could have been prevented, she said.