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It's spring break, and St. Petersburg police say they've already seen a rise in car break-ins

 
Published March 31, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG — Spring break began at Pinellas public schools this week, and police say they've already registered a sharp spike in car thefts and burglaries across the city.

Between Friday and Sunday, 18 cars were stolen and another 44 were burglarized, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.

It's an old problem for local investigators. Car thefts and burglaries have risen for more than a year ( tbtim.es/dlg), and police say teens are the most common culprits. Detectives usually see a spike during school vacation weeks. It happens all over the city, but the commonality is that most of the cars are unlocked, according to authorities.

Police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez said 90 percent of the cars hit over the weekend were either unlocked or had the keys inside. Detectives made five arrests and recovered four cars, she said. They believe some of thieves came into St. Petersburg from surrounding communities.

Authorities have repeatedly asked people to lock their vehicles when leaving them unattended. Fernandez said she posted a graphic to the Police Department's Facebook page on Monday, advising that it usually only takes a thief 30 seconds to break into a car.

Locking up, she said, is the best deterrent.