Despite the small town atmosphere, Fort Mill residents are being advised by police not to invite crime.

People who leave their cars and homes unlocked are prime targets for criminals looking for an easy score, Fort Mill Police Lt. Ray Dixon said. Police have noticed a spike in petty property crime in recent months in some neighborhoods along Doby's Bridge Road.

"The biggest issue is petty theft, crimes of opportunity," Dixon said. "These people are going car to car to car checking the doors, and when they find one unlocked they'll go through it and take what they want."

Dixon first saw an uptick in those types of crimes in the McKendry and Sterling neighborhoods, so he sent an e-mail to WhiteGrove residents asking them to take proactive measures such as locking their cars at night, or even putting them in their garages. He heard back from several homeowners who had already fallen victim to car break-ins, but had not reported them.

He also got several responses about small items like hanging baskets, flags and lawn ornaments being stolen from some homes in WhiteGrove.

"With the small miscellaneous items, there's no real value in what they are taking," Dixon said. "We think that's probably teens, and most of the items are probably at the bottom of the ponds [in the neighborhood]."

The car break-ins are more serious, though, Dixon said.

"We think they are looking for sets of keys, because some people leave keys in their car," Dixon said.

In previous years, there have been cases in Fort Mill of thieves getting keys from an unlocked car and using them to steal not only the unlocked car, but also a second car stored inside a garage. Once a criminal gets a set of keys, he or she also has access to the home, Dixon said.

Because police can't always be everywhere, Dixon is encouraging residents to set up neighborhood watch programs. The police department can not set up the watch programs, but Dixon and other officers will work with neighborhood groups to provide information and some training.