VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) -- Virginia Beach Police are asking residents to be aware of a growing trend of car break-ins and thefts.

According to officials, just between April 8-9, the city reported 34 incidents of destruction of property and 14 thefts from motor vehicles. This all occurred in the 3rd Precinct of the city near Bonney Road.

As a result, law enforcement are reminding the community to always lock your doors, keep valuables in your vehicle out of plain sight or to not leave valuables in your vehicle, at all. This will reduce your likelihood of becoming a victim. 

Police said that, while car break-ins typically involve individuals checking to see which vehicles are unlocked, the recent thefts have involved smashing car windows in order to get the items inside.

Other areas of the city have reported similar trends, however, not as prevalent as in the 3rd Precinct.

A resident living on one of the streets with multiple break ins said he has seen incidents like this before and knows how to avoid them.

“Coming from Orlando, Florida, it’s just the younger crowd breaking into cars and trying to get whatever they can get," one resident said. "The more excessive ones where they’re breaking the glass, using tools, usually there’s something in your car that they know or have heard of that they want, or they see something expensive through the windows. That’s why I avoid leaving anything expensive in my car.” 

The man explained his process to make sure his car isn’t broken into.

“Double lock it — sometimes I even do a little look back, make sure I didn’t leave anything in there," he said. "Like I said, if you’ve got something expensive sitting out on the front seat, it’s gonna catch someone eye.” 

Due to the rise in thefts, police are asking residents to keep valuables out of vehicles, or just out of sight. People are also asked to consider investing in car alarms or added lighting to your home or driveway. They're also asking neighbors in the Bonney Road area to help them ID suspects and review security camera footage to see if they've captured anything.

Individuals who may have captured video of thefts from security cameras are asked to contact the VBPD Detective Bureau at 757-385-4101 with the potential evidence. People can also register and integrate their security cameras with VBPD using the link here.