Southfield car thefts have police reminding residents to be cautious during the holidays

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - At least seven vehicles were stolen in Southfield over the past week from parking lots on Northwestern Highway, to apartment complexes off Northland Drive.

The vehicles stolen included a couple of Kias, a Ford Explorer, a Jeep Cherokee and more.

"This time of year, things kind of increase in terms of people engaging in different criminal activity," said Deputy Chief Aaron Huguley from the Southfield Police Department. "Our agency made a commitment to combatting auto theft-related crimes many years ago. As you guys all know, we have the Oakland County Auto Theft Unit housed in our police department. We have a detective dedicated to that team as well as other surrounding agencies partnering with."

While Deputy Chief Aaron Huguley says the amount of theft they're seeing isn't unusual per se—crimes of opportunity are big leading into the holidays.

"The holidays bring high emotion of responsibility in terms of providing different things. So, different activities kind of enhance a little bit in terms of criminal activities."

So what can you do?

The biggest thing that you could do, according to the police, is hit the lock button on your door. That’s a no-brainer, but what else you can do to avoid any kind of crime of opportunity? Don’t leave your laptop or your purse inside your car to give thieves an incentive to break in, of course, parking a well-lit area.

"It’s Christmas, kids want money, video games or whatever" said retired Detroit Police Department officer Steve Dolunt. "The thieves, the smart ones, are like, I will send a kid out, the judge won’t do anything, and if they do get caught, I’ll find another kid, it’s sad but that’s how it works."

Dolunt says holiday crime affects all types of communities. Be aware of your surroundings.

"Don’t tempt them to jump into your car and steal it," he said.

Keep your eyes and ears open, the police are only a phone call away.