New year - same old mistakes

It’s a brand new year, but women have been making the same old mistakes by leaving their handbags unattended, according to police at the 109th Precinct.
Since January 1, there has been a rash of incidents where bags, which were left unattended “for a minute,” have been taken, often costing the victim not just money, but lots of time and peace of mind.
Worse yet in terms of loss, are the incidents where women leave their bags locked in their cars, in plain sight.
On Tuesday, January 1, a 19-year-old woman parked her 2003 Toyota Corolla in the municipal parking lot at 138th Street and 39th Avenue in downtown Flushing. She left a “leather Gucci bag” in the car, according to Police Officer Anthony Lo Verme, a crime prevention officer at the Flushing police command.
“When she got back to her car, the rear passenger side window was broken, and the bag, with several credit cards, was gone,” Lo Verme said.
That Friday, January 4, a 36-year-old woman had a very expensive shopping trip to the Whitestone shopping center at 154th Street and the Cross Island Parkway.
Inside her 2007 BMW X-5 SUV, she left a $675 pair of Fendi glasses, and not one, but two Gucci bags, worth nearly $1800.
Her windows weren’t broken; instead, the thief punched out the lock on the driver’s side door before snatching the loot.
Professional thieves are known to prowl parking lots, just looking for valuables left in vehicles. Sometimes they work in pairs, with one on the look-out for loot, and the other driving a getaway car. They wait for the right moment, and the actual theft is done in just a few seconds.
The larger numbers of thefts however, are still from women who leave their bags in shopping carts, or otherwise abandon them to the mercy of whoever passes by.
Not long ago, a 24-year-old woman had a very, very expensive cup of coffee at the Starbucks at 41-12 Main Street. She left her bag and her laptop computer at a table while she got her beverage. When she returned from the register, both were gone.
“The number of complaints dropped off for a while, but since the holidays, they’re up again,” Lo Verme said. “We’re hoping that people will remember that you just can’t leave your valuables lying around and expect them to be there when you get back.”