Violet JiraThe Oxford Police Department has noticed an uptick in auto burglaries and is encouraging residents to be wary. OPD released a statement via Twitter encouraging residents to take measures to remain safe.
“We’ve had several reported auto burglaries lately with each vehicle being unlocked,” the tweet read. “Please be sure to remove valuables and lock your car doors at night!”
Lieutenant Hildon Sessums said there’s been five burglaries since Aug. 30.
Across the month of August students have returned, some with their vehicles, back to Oxford, repopulating apartment complexes and filling up campus residential parking lots. These areas, according to Sessums, are the ones primarily being targeted.
“It’s been apartment complexes and large student housing areas,” he said.
The department is encouraging people to devote five minutes of their day to a “9 P.M.” routine. The routine entails locking all ground floors and windows, bringing all mail and packages inside, making sure no valuables are outside the home, and removing valuables from vehicles and locking them, according to an infographic shared on their Twitter.
“Over 80 percent of burglaries in Oxford are a result of unsecured property,” the tweet concluded. “Burglars check and look for unlocked doors.”
