Wave of vehicle break-ins hits Ottawa, say police

Ottawa police are warning people to keep valuables out of their vehicles after a wave of thefts over the past five weeks.

Since Oct. 1, there have been reports of 488 thefts from vehicles in the city. Abouthalf of those occurredin the downtown core, police said in a statement Friday.

Suspects are either opening unlocked car doors or smashing windows to get into the vehicles, police said.

Anyone with information about the rash of vehicle thefts can call theOttawa Police Serivce at613-236-1222, ext. 7300 orCrime Stoppers toll-free at1-800-222-8477(TIPS).