An Osoyoos woman is upset that her vehicle was stolen from her driveway five days after her keys were lost, even though she took steps to change locks on the vehicle and her home.
Lilo Blanke said he and her husband Manfred are also disappointed that the police don’t have more resources to follow up with neighbours about the theft.
Blanke said she believes she dropped the keys to her 2015 Dodge Caravan and her home last Thursday, June 21.
She and her husband arranged with the auto dealer to have the locks reprogrammed and to get new keys. They also had a locksmith change their house lock. Together, the changes cost hundreds of dollars.
They thought they’d taken all necessary steps.
Then, sometime during the night of Tuesday, June 26 and Wednesday, June 27, the vehicle was stolen from their home on Cactus Crescent, which is a cul-de-sac.
Blanke said she doesn’t fault the investigating officer from Osoyoos RCMP because she understands that he was very busy. But she’s disappointed that police don’t have the time to visit neighbours who may have seen or heard something.
Some neighbours, she said, heard a car starting in the night and saw a man walking to the end of the cul-de-sac.
The relatively new vehicle had a television, back-up camera and other “toys,” Blanke said, suggesting this would make it an attractive target.
She said thieves know that there’s a period of time after midnight when the RCMP doesn’t patrol.
“People should be aware and they should look out for each other,” said Blanke.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
