There has been an increase in the number of vehicle burglaries throughout the city of Hays in recent weeks and there were four reported over the weekend.

Hays Police spokesman, Lt. Brandon Wright, said that the number of vehicle burglaries increases in the summertime and a lot of times it is a juvenile offense. Because young people are no longer in school they do not have as much supervision, so it is easier for them to get away with the crime.

Lt. Wright said that these burglaries are a crime of opportunity and it is easy for someone to walk down a block and hit a string of cars. The burglars are looking for cars that are unlocked or have their windows left down and they will take anything that they can get their hands on that has some value. Lt. Wright said that at this time, they do not have any suspects in the recent string of thefts in Hays.

It is always a good idea to not leave anything of value lying in a vehicle, keep your windows rolled up and most importantly, keep your vehicles locked.