Warmer weather this week brought a rash of thefts from motor vehicles in several Suffolk neighborhoods, including off Godwin and Portsmouth boulevards and in the North Suffolk area.

And while it will be cold for the next week or so, warm weather is bound to return — and with it more crimes of opportunity — so Suffolk police are urging residents to lock their vehicles and homes.

Overnight on March 7-8, there were 24 incidents of thefts from motor vehicles in Suffolk, according to a city press release.

“In the overwhelming majority of these instances, the vehicles had been left unlocked,” the press release stated. “This is a problem not only for those who were unfortunate enough to have their cars entered and ransacked but also for the neighborhood as a whole.”

Police remind citizens of the following three main reasons to lock their car doors:

4Loss of valuables: Thieves look for crimes of opportunity, and prime targets are unlocked vehicles with electronics, cellphones, jewelry, weapons, money and other valuables in plain sight.

4Possible entry to your home: If you leave car doors unlocked with a set of house keys or garage door opener inside, thieves could easily enter your home to steal more property or even threaten your and your loved ones’ personal safety.

4Do it for the neighborhood: While the Suffolk Police Department is happy to know people feel secure in their neighborhoods, public safety is a shared responsibility. If cars and homes are frequently left unlocked, word will get around that this is an open invitation for future crime.