Residents of Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Westlake are our own worst enemy when it comes to vehicle break-ins.

Automobiles, SUVs, minivans and trucks filled with treasures such as purses, wallets, briefcases, laptops, iPods, GPS units and cellphones are magnets that attract criminals to Thousand Oaks. (See story on page 15.)

Detective Eric Buschow of the Thousand Oaks Police Department said, “Hard-core gang members from Oxnard come here to steal from our folks.”

The reason? Many Conejo Valley residents think that valuables are safe while sitting inside their vehicles. But when expensive items are easily seen by anyone who looks inside a car, it’s a burglary waiting to happen.

Worse, many people here leave their car doors unlocked, which is tempting for a thief. If he walks by your car, looks inside, sees something he wants and the doors are unlocked, the outcome is obvious.

Buschow admits he’s getting frustrated because some residents aren’t being careful.

“It amazes me to hear how many people say they left valuable items in their cars, oftentimes unlocked, because they thought this was a safe community.”

If people want Thousand Oaks to stay safe, they shouldn’t attract criminals from outside Conejo Valley, the detective said.

Always lock your vehicle. And if you want to prevent your valuables from becoming loot, store them in the trunk.

At the very least, hide them.