Lethbridge police are urging residents to lock their vehicles after recovering two stolen cars this week that had been left with keys inside. Sgt. Liam Breedon of the force’s property crimes unit said prowling has risen slightly in the city over the past couple of weeks.

Thefts from vehicles can happen within seconds, police warn. Breedon said most occur at night, as the sun begins setting earlier. The summer months, from June through October, tend to bring more prowling, he said, with nicer weather putting more people on foot.

“They will enter these vehicles in hopes of just getting loose change, maybe some devices like laptops and backpacks,” Breedon said.

Police are asking residents to establish a 9 p.m. checklist to secure their property. Breedon also urged people to report suspicious activity through the force’s available reporting resources, so officers can be sent to the right areas.

“If you see something suspicious, please report it, please call in, please use our different resources to report those crimes so that we can push out our officers in the right areas to help deal with it,” he said.

Despite the recent increase, car prowling and thefts from vehicles in Lethbridge and across Alberta are down compared with previous years. Aaron Sutherland, vice-president of Western and Pacific with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said vehicle theft in Alberta has fallen about 10 per cent over the past five years, with the same trend in Lethbridge.

Sutherland said a stolen car does not count as an at-fault insurance claim, so drivers should not see their premiums rise as a result. If a vehicle is not found, it will be replaced; if it is recovered, it will be repaired, and the theft will not affect the owner’s driving record.

“Good news for those drivers that are being impacted here. The cost, of course, is covered. The car will be replaced if not found or repaired when it is and it doesn’t go against their driving record,” Sutherland said.

He said the average Alberta driver pays about $50 a year in insurance premiums to cover vehicle thefts.

Based on reporting by CTV News Calgary.