Members of the Okotoks Municipal Enforcement are scratching their heads over break and enter numbers received in their 3rd quarter and its not about the number of breaks, but how they actually happened.

Manager Tim Stobbs says residents still aren't locking up their homes, cars or garages enough to prevent these crimes from occurring.

"We had an excessive 30 break and enters to residences and correlating the reports only one indicates that only one of them had a forced entry," he says.

Stobbs says most break and enters are an opportunity crime for someone and can't emphasize enough on taking the time to lock up everything before you leave your home.

"We're encouraging people strongly to make sure their homes are locked up and that they don't leave their vehicles unlocked with their garage door openers in it," says. "This is just inviting people to walk into your house and essentially go shopping for all of the goods you have in your home."

With the rise in break and enters, Stobbs says his team of enforcement officers will remind you that your doors are unlocked and vulnerable.

"Things we will be doing is going through the neighbourhoods if we see your doors open, we will be dropping off some information packages in regrads into the possible consequences of leaving your garage door open or leaving your cars unlocked," he says. "We want to try to reach out to our community to help them have a safe neighbourhood and not have them placed themselves as victims."