Positive ticketing

The Ottawa Police Service issues Theft Prevention Notices which they place on vehicles to inform people about the importance of protecting themselves from theft from or of their vehicles. These “positive tickets” contain a checklist of safety tips like: 

• Don’t leave personal identification, vehicle registration, insurance certificates or credit cards in your vehicle
• Remove valuables, shopping bags and loose change from view
• Never leave your vehicle running and unattended
• Always lock your doors
• Park in well lit areas with pedestrian traffic 

You can create your own positive ticketing campaign in your neighbourhood to remind your neighbours about property safety and crime prevention tips. Positive ticketing can also be used to inform neighbours if a crime has been committed in the area. You can use a ticket to encourage neighbours to protect themselves and, if they notice suspicious activity, to call the police. One thing to remember, however, is that people might not react well to seeing a yellow ticket on their car! Consider using a different coloured paper to create your positive tickets so people don’t have a negative reaction when they find them.