As temperatures drop and the holidays approach, some behavior increase the likelihood of people becoming the victims of crime as car thefts and burglaries increase.

When it gets cold, some people get into the habit of starting their car and leaving it running unattended while it warms up, leaving the keys inside and the vehicle unlocked, said Officer Barry Pruitt, spokesman for the Bowling Green Police Department.

“Every year we have cars stolen because of this,” he said.

City police also have seen cases where unattended vehicles stolen from other areas and were brought to Bowling Green. They were used to commit crimes, then dumped in the city, Pruitt said.

“I’ve seen instances where people have gone into Minit Mart to purchase a cup of coffee and left their vehicle running,” he said, only to have it missing when they came out.

“A great alternative is to purchase an automatic car starter,” Pruitt said. “The vehicle can be started and warmed up, but isn’t operational until the key is inserted.”

The motorist can also use two sets of keys. Leave one inside the started vehicle with the doors locked and use the other set to unlock the vehicle, said Kentucky State Police Trooper Todd Holder, spokesman at the Bowling Green post.

“It seems like a lot of times during the winter we’ll be searching for someone and they’ll find one of these cars and take off,” he said.

This causes issues for law enforcement because they’re looking for someone on foot not knowing they’ve stolen a vehicle, Holder said.

Burglaries usually increase during the holidays, Pruitt said.

“With college students leaving for extended periods of time, there is always an increase,” Pruitt said. “The thieves watch these homes and know that students will be gone for a long time.”

Burglaries in general increase as the holidays approach, Holder said.

People typically put up their Christmas trees around Thanksgiving, he said.

“We’ve had instances where they’ve broken in and stolen every present under the tree,” Holder said.

It’s more common for the burglar to actually unwrap the presents and to see what’s inside, he said. They’ll take the electronics and leave the sweaters.

This also is the time of year when criminals begin looking into vehicles because people will purchase Christmas presents and leave them on the back seat, Holder said.

“They can steal thousands of dollars in Christmas presents in one row of vehicles,” he said.

Police suggest that shoppers secure their treasures in the trunk, he said.