35 car break-ins in July

A recent spike in car break-ins in Westmount, from 17 in May to 35 in July, highlights just what makes some vehicles more vulnerable to theft than others — and what you can do to prevent it. "The statistics are correct, unfortunately," said Station 12 Constable Alain Diallo, but he noted that all the incidents fall into three separated categories. "The first is that the residents weren't careful, their cars weren't locked," he said.

Also, many of the vehicle owners left possessions lying about in plain site: GPS devices, MP3 players, CDs and change. "Ideally, do not leave anything at all in the car," advised Diallo, because thieves will likely also burglarize the glove compartment after smashing one of the windows and then carry off whatever is inside.

And despite good security habits, luck may not be on your side.

Almost half of the incidents in July took place over one day, when a suspect went on a crime spree, breaking into 13 vehicles in a row.

Police say they can't do much to stem this particular crime and Diallo notes that for minor crimes like these the crook is usually released soon after the arrest. "Lots of thieves tend to have drug problems — and this becomes an easy source of revenue," he said.

So what can you do to avoid being a victim? "Park the vehicle in a well-lit area and have the alarm on," suggests Diallo.