Over the last week, we’ve written of several incidents where multiple vehicles were broken into and valuable items were taken. Items including from iPads, laptops and money have been stolen in the recent break-ins.

It seems like during the summer and around Christmas, there’s an increase of vehicle break-ins around the country. It’s definitely not a problem unique to Troup County.

Thankfully, there’s a lot you can do personally to avoid car break-ins from happening.

First, lock your doors. In general, criminals look for opportunity.

If your car door is unlocked, that means anyone can walk by, grab a few items and run away in a matter of seconds. If it seems like we write it a lot — and the police say it a lot — it’s because it keeps happening. People don’t lock their doors, and it leads to break-ins over and over. We see a handful of them every week in police reports.

Locking your vehicle may not stop all break-in attempts, but it’ll at least make it more difficult for a criminal to get inside.

Another easy way to lower your chance of a break-in is to avoid leaving valuable items in plain sight. If you’re leaving your purse in the car, put it in the truck. Hide any valuables where a casual observer couldn’t come by and see them.

And if you want to be extremely safe, don’t leave anything valuable in the car.

It’s important to remember that just because it hasn’t happened to you doesn’t mean it won’t.

Make sure to lock your doors and be aware of your surroundings when you park.