#Westport, CT– During the overnight/early morning hours of Monday February 10, 2020, several Westport neighborhoods were again visited by what is presumed to be a group of suspects traveling by car seeking to burglarize unlocked vehicles. As of this writing, reports of this nature were received from locations off of Greens Farms Road on both the east and west sides of town, as well as additional reports from the Old Mill Beach area. Also reported in the overnight hours was the theft of a vehicle from the Compo Beach area. This stolen vehicle had been left unlocked with the keys inside of it. As is typically the case, it is anticipated that more of these types of reports will be received as the day progresses, and/or that many of these incidents in which nothing was taken will go unreported to police.
We ask that you please let these incidents serve as a reminder that vehicle break-ins and vehicle thefts continue to occur in ours and neighboring communities at great frequency; especially in the overnight hours. In the majority of Westport cases of vehicles being entered which resulted in thefts of goods from within, the doors were left unlocked. In almost all Westport cases of vehicles being stolen, keys were left inside of an unlocked vehicle. The vast majority of these suspects do not wish to take the time to attempt to force entry into a vehicle. This is especially true in the overnight hours, when doing so could create a significant amount of noise that would draw the unwanted attention of otherwise sleeping neighborhoods. When encountering locked vehicles, these suspects almost always simply move on to the next possible target. We therefore strongly implore our residents not to fall victim to these types of crimes.
Preventative measures taken by the community coupled with the vigilance of our officers is the key to safeguarding our neighborhoods from being victimized. With that, we ask that you please always lock your car and bring your keys inside. Please remember to take valuables out of your car for the night, such as purses, wallets and electronics and to never leave these items out in plain view within; even if the vehicle is locked. It is also good practice to keep outside lights on and motion lights activated. Lock your residence and arm the security system if your home is equipped with one. Again, the sum of all these preventative measures have a great deterrent effect on the occurrence of these types of crimes. We also ask that you please notify the police department if it appears that your vehicle was entered or if you should observe anything suspicious in your neighborhood. No one knows your neighborhood better than you do, and the information you provide is always vital to our crime prevention efforts.
Anyone with additional information relative to this investigation is asked to contact the Westport Police Department Detective Bureau at (203) 341-6080.
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