About this time every year petty crime picks up.

It happens in most communities, so it shouldn’t be viewed as a black eye on Natchez.

School is out, bored young people are roaming and trouble ensues.

The community shouldn’t be proud of it, nor should we encourage it.

Who would encourage crime, you ask?

Dozens of your neighbors do it every day, several times a day.

Anyone who walks away from their unlocked car with valuables inside is simply inviting the criminals to the party. It’s a shame that our world isn’t one in which we can just leave our car doors unlocked and have no worries. Few places in the world are like that anymore.

The same goes for unlocked houses, storage sheds and businesses.

Police offer the same words of caution several times a year, but particularly when the school doors close for summer. Lock up your belongings. Don’t leave valuables in plain sight.

It’s common sense, but still a common problem.

If you’d prefer to avoid smashed windows by simply leaving your vehicle unlocked, that’s your choice; but make sure there’s nothing of value inside that can be easily taken.

Part of reducing crime is having personal responsibility.

We’d rather our police officers spend their time responding to serious crime, not the burglary of an unlocked vehicle.

Three months of long, hot summer are ahead. Youth will be mischievous, troublesome and sometimes downright bad.

Don’t ask for trouble.