Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin for 2020-10-05

This week’s topics:

  • Make road safety a priority – Impaired driving & not stopping.
  • Protect your vehicle from car thieves – 11 luxury thefts this week.


If you’re interested in helping out, see our Neighbourhood Watch Page.

– Alex

—– Forwarded Message —–
Subject: Neighbourhood Watch Bulletin for October 5, 2020
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2020 13:01:03 -0400
From: Darren Joseph <wellingtoncpc@gmail.com>

1.  Make road safety a priority

“Since May 24th there have been 16 fatalities on our roads, four of which have occurred in September alone,” said Sergeant Craig Roberts. “Let’s work together to keep our roads safe. Be aware of your surroundings, respect traffic lights and speed limits and drive sober.”

Since September 1st, 70 people have been charged with impaired driving offences by drugs and/or alcohol and more than 13 drivers have had their driving privileges suspended for having alcohol in their body but not yet above the legal limit (warn range).

“We have to work together to stop these worrisome statistics,” said Staff Sergeant Marc-Andre Sheehy, responsible for the Traffic Services Unit. “As a community, we can and must do better. Reporting dangerous and impaired drivers to police is where everyone can play a role in ensuring our children, as well as adults and seniors remain safe on our roads.”

This weekend and in the weeks ahead our Traffic Services will focus on Impaired Operation and stop signals (such as stop signs and traffic lights).

“Whatever you do, plan your travels to be safe on the roads.  If you decide to consume alcohol or use cannabis, plan a safe way home,” concluded Sgt. Troy Froats, Impaired Countermeasures with the Traffic Services Unit. “We have highly trained officers skilled in recognizing drug impairment. Don’t drive impaired, because it will cost you.”

You can consult the City’s website for information on traffic disruptions due to construction. Please slow down and drive safely when approaching these roadwork sites and their workers.

2.  Protect your vehicle from car thieves

The Ottawa Police reminds the community that the risk of thefts, and repeat thefts, of high-end Lexus and Toyota vehicles in Ottawa is still very present, particularly with larger SUVs, RX350, 4 Runner and Highlander. There have been 11 luxury vehicle thefts in the past week.

We remind car owners of the following tips to protect their vehicle:

  • Make your vehicle less vulnerable to theft by parking it in a locked garage and or by blocking it in tightly with a second vehicle. Exterior lighting and video surveillance around the driveway can also serve as a deterrent.
  • Consider installing an after marker electronic immobilizer devices which can interfere with the starting of the vehicle.
  • Be vigilant that there is no damage to the door locks mechanisms as this could be an indicator that your car has been targeted.
  • Consider protecting your vehicle with devices such as car alarms or steering wheel locking devices such as “The Club”.
  • GPS tracking devices have become increasingly popular. Some even allow the vehicle owner to electronically “fence-in” their vehicle whereby an alarm cue would occur if the vehicle were to leave the fenced-in area without authorization.
  • Locks to restrict access to the on-board diagnostic plug exist and when applied can impede a thief from re-programming a key.
  • If you are selling your vehicle, be wary not to let anyone have access to your car keys and do not let your vehicle out of your sight. This prevents a thief from copying your key during a “test drive” so they can return to steal it.
  • Finally, good old fashioned neighbourhood watch is a great deterrent. Be vigilant and call 911 to report any suspicious vehicles in your neighbourhood.  Most thefts occur between midnight and 5am in the morning.

Investigators have not yet seen the use of signal amplifiers in Ottawa. In the event that this technology makes its way to Ottawa, a simple line of defense is to consider keeping any vehicle with a proximity key fob inside a radio frequency shield device (RFS device).  This will prevent the key fob’s signal from being amplified to the vehicle from inside the house protecting it from being driven away.

More safety tips are available online.

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Contact Cst. Darren Joseph directly at josephd@ottawapolice.ca.