SALISBURY — Thefts from motor vehicles are an ongoing problem, not just in Salisbury but throughout the county.

Of late, there have been a number of valuables, including guns, stolen from vehicles in and around town, and police remind residents to lock their vehicles and not to leave anything of value in the car.

“A car isn’t a gun safe,” Salisbury Police Chief Jerry Stokes commented at a community meeting recently. Nor is it a place to store anything of any real value, noted Sgt. Russell DeSantis. Better to take valuable items inside your home or, if you are at work, into your office where you can secure them.

Remember that leaving a window open even slightly can also make it easier for a would-be thief to gain access, even if the car doors are locked.

“Also, please do not leave children or pets inside a hot car,” DeSantis said. If a child is locked alone in a vehicle, police will try to find the owner of the vehicle, but can take action to get into the car fairly quickly. If a pet is locked inside a car, they will try to find the owner, and there must be considerations such as outside temperature (a 60-degree day versus a 90-degree day will warrant different actions) but if temperatures are in a danger zone, they will act to get the animal to safety.

“It’s important to remember on these very hot days, it only takes seconds for the temperatures inside a car to reach dangerous levels,” said DeSantis.