The Peace Region RCMP Community Advisory Committee is concerned about a growing trend of break-and-enters into vehicles in the area. According to Committee Chair, David LeBlanc, an update was given on this situation at last night’s meeting. “They are basically driving into parking lots,” says LeBlanc. “There was an incident at the Grimshaw Hospital, the Freson Brothers parking lot, and various dealerships as well. They are trying the doors of vehicles and if they are unlocked, they are basically grabbing whatever they can see, jumping back in their vehicle and taking off.”
LeBlanc also says that even locked vehicles are not deterring perpetrators. “There have been some instances where purses and wallets have been left in the vehicles and they were actually smashing the windows out, taking the articles and leaving,” mentions LeBlanc. Sometimes, thieves are caught on camera but as LeBlanc points out, that is not always a deterrent. “Sometimes they (those caught on camera) are tough to identify.”
He adds the best method to combat this trend is prevention, opposed to reaction. “We are asking the public to make sure any bags are put in the trunk. Don’t leave gas cards or lottery tickets because they are grabbing those as well. Even little items like dash cams and GPS units are also getting stolen,” comments LeBlanc.
LeBlanc says the local RCMP routinely checks vehicles in busy parking lots as part of its “lock it or lose it” campaign. “They are going around and if they see anything in the vehicle, they will leave a note on the windshield with a reminder to remove property from sight,” says LeBlanc. “We are also handing out cards, which you can put in your vehicle, which says ‘there are no valuable in this vehicle’ and we are hoping that will deter thieves from breaking into vehicles. There is nothing there, so why break in?”
No statistics are available at this point about this recent trend.
– Kenny Trenton, Trending 55 Newsroom
