With the summer months upon us and more people making use of their yard space, the Alberta Crime Prevention Unit is offering tips on how to prevent theft from your yard.

Back in 2019, over 126,000 outdoor property crime offences were reported across the province and over 12,400 of them took place in July.  

The RCMP strongly recommends storing bikes, tools and lawnmowers in a closed space, and putting identifying marks or numbers on them. 

They say that you should treat your outdoor space the same as inside your home, and lock up gates and sheds before you head to bed.  

If you're heading out of town the RCMP recommends asking a neighbour to take care of the yard so it's not obvious to others that your home is unoccupied.

Local Mounties recommend taking those same precautions for your trailers and cabins.

They suggest turning on outside lights in the evening and installing motion sensors.

Having lights on a timer helps to add the illusion that someone is regularly there and putting in an alarm system complete with stickers advertising it-- will also help to deter thieves.