Lock it, or Lose it.

That's the message RCMP and the AMA want to spread to all Albertans, after a recently released stat showed that you are three times more likely to get your vehicle stolen in Alberta compared to any other province.

Stats Canada’s Uniform Crime Reporting Survey has put Alberta as the place most likely in Canada to get your vehicle stolen, and AMA along with the RCMP are trying to prevent you from becoming another unfortunate stat.

23,000 vehicles were stolen in Alberta last year, which is 3 times the national average, with 15,000 of those being stolen in Red Deer alone.

Vice President of Government and Stakeholder relations with AMA Jeff Kasbrick says they are expanding the program province wide that has worked well in Red Deer to raise awareness about this ongoing issue of vehicle theft.

“We are doing all that we can to raise awareness of this issue, so we are launching our Lock it or Lose it campaign province wide. It’s a piece that has worked incredibly well here in Red Deer, and we’re very happy to be amplifying that on a province wide basis so we can draw attention to this very serious issue.”

Kasbrick says considering those factors, having your vehicle stolen impacts more than you, and jeopardizes the safety of the public.

“I personally think that it’s so often a matter of convenience for us, and what we have to do is keep perspective, and if our vehicle is stolen the time and inconvenience headache that it causes, let alone the public safety risk that has bene identified, represents a very serious issue.”

The Lock it or Lose it campaign encourages people to remember to remove valuables from their vehicle, make sure it's locked, and avoid leaving it running unattended with the keys inside, as this is a prime target for opportunistic thieves.

Thefts from vehicles has actually gone down 12 and a half percent from last year in Red Deer, but there is still about 7 thefts from vehicles per day, as thieves are eagerly looking for vehicles who leave their valuables in plan site.

Locally, the volunteers with the Lock It or Lose It campaign have spent a few nights going through the parking lot of the Enmax Centrium during Rebels game, “ticketing” cars with any potential red flags for theft.

These campaigns have showed some positive results so far, which they hope spread to the rest of the province.

(Vice President of Government and Stakeholder relations with AMA Jeff Kasbrick speaks outside the AMA Red Deer Southpointe building Wednesday afternoon, kicking off the Lock it or Lose it provincial awareness campaign)