RCMP are reminding you to walk around your vehicle before driving to ensure the license plate is still there and still yours.

Although not an every day occurrence, license plates being swapped or stolen does happen in the city.

"It is some what common. Unfortunately, it is very, very easy to do; individuals will simply grab a screw driver, go to a parking lot that doesn't seem to have anyone around and swap out the license plates," said Cst. Jason Curtis.

Cst. Curtis added that it isn't something a lot of people check for.

"Sometimes the plate will go unnoticed as being changed until the individual gets pulled over and then trying to track down a timeline as to when it may have been taken becomes challenging."

One main reason why an individual would steal a license plate is to commit offenses.

"We do recover quite a few plates because individuals, more often than not, are taking these plates, using them to commit offenses, and then ditching them fairly quickly afterwards," shared Cst. Curtis.

If you do report your license plate as stolen, and then somehow find it, Cst. Curtis urges you to call RCMP and let them know.

He said if not, the plate will continue to be listed as 'stolen' and the original owner will be pulled over.

The best way to prevent your license plate from being stolen is to park your vehicle in a secured area or a parking lot with lots of activity.