The International Falls Police Department is seeking help from area residents in both deterring and solving crimes.

Falls Police Investigator Willi Kostiuk said the department needs the help of residents to combat what appears to be an increase in vandalism, property damage, thefts and burglaries.

“Times have changed,” he said. “Little International Falls is not the perfect, crime-free area. We have a lot of stuff going on out there.”

By deterring the thefts and burglaries, the community may be assisting efforts to curb the illegal drug business, Kostiuk said.

Kostiuk urged people to consider ways to keep their belongings safe.

“We have different groups of people out there who make their living stealing from cars and garages,” he said.

Kostiuk said only a small number of officers are available for night shifts, and when more than two officers are working nights, at least one is on foot in the areas where the crime seems to have increased.

“We just can’t be everywhere,” he said. “We need people to do their part to make it easier for us.” And, to make it a little harder for people to steal and damage property, he added.

Kostiuk credited the local officers for their efforts, but said so many incidents are occurring that they must rely on the public’s help in deterrence and to provide information.

“We pay informants to solve lot of crimes, hundreds of dollars were spent to get information on recent burglaries,” he said. Help from the public is a cheaper way to solve crimes, he said.

The most recent crime spree involved the slashing of 13 tires at Wherley Motors early Wednesday morning, according to Kostiuk. Earlier, the business had many windows busted out of vehicles on the lot. Kostiuk said he learned after the fact that someone had heard the windows being broken, but didn’t immediately report it.

Kostiuk urged anyone who sees or hears something that seems suspicious to immediately call 911 to report it.

“It may be the one thing that would solve a crime, but we need to hear it, not two weeks later, but right away,” he said. “You’re not bothering us, you’re helping us.”

To deter crime, Kostiuk said businesses are urged to secure their buildings when they leave, deposit money at a bank instead of keeping it overnight inside the building, or keep the money in a safe or secret place for the night if it must be kept in the building.

Residents are asked to lock their car doors, garages and residences. “We can deter a lot of people by doing simple things,” he said.

People need to ask themselves if they have locked the door to their vehicle, if there are valuables visible from the outside of the vehicle, or if their vehicle can be stored inside.

He said it’s likely that if someone is attempting to break into a vehicle, garage or residence and find it’s locked, they may look for an easier target with unlocked doors next door.

Kostiuk provides the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of a theft, burglary, or property damage incident:

• Do not leave keys inside the vehicle and the vehicle unlocked.

• Lock vehicles.

• Do not leave valuables inside vehicles.

• If you have a garage, put your car in the garage, lock the car and the garage doors.

• Lock the doors and windows to your house.