Over the last two months, there have been 44 break and enters in the Montrose / Highland / Bellevue area, and 24 of those incidents were to garages. For the same time period in 2013, there were 26, and nine of those were to garages. Last week, there were nine break-ins to private garages, and three of those were on the same day within a few blocks of each other. All the incidents reportedly occurred overnight and many involve unlocked garage side doors.
The thieves are stealing small items such as tools, equipment, personal electronics, and bikes, but are often leaving larger more expensive items behind. Thieves are also rummaging through unlocked vehicles that are parked within garages and taking whatever they can carry out, including loose change.
“We’ve seen this before, and believe there may be several individuals involved, who may be travelling on bikes and wearing backpacks to carry the stolen property,” says Const. Keith Pitzel with EPS Northeast Division. “These are crimes of opportunity, and these thieves are looking for unlocked doors. Once inside your garage or house, they look for small valuables that can easily fit into their backpack, then they carry it off quickly with no one being the wiser.”
Thieves will often check residential or vehicle doors to find one that is unlocked to gain entry, and are attracted to areas where they find an abundance of unsecured property. Police remind homeowners to:
- Keep your home and garage locked at all times. Lock your vehicles whether they are parked inside or outside the garage.
- Install deadbolt locks on your doors for added security, and install lights near entranceways to keep the areas well lit at night.
- Help police track stolen items by recording the make, model, and serial number of significant items in your home or garage. You can also engrave your name on items, keep the receipts, or take photos, which helps police return the property to owners.
- Report stolen items to police as soon as possible.
- Report suspicious activities to police immediately. Be aware of persons or vehicles in your neighbourhood, and look out for your neighbours as well.
For these and other crime prevention tips, please visit www.edmontonpolice.ca/crimeprevention.
If you have an emergency, such as a theft or break-in crime in progress, please call 911. If you wish to report a previous crime, please contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567or #377 from a mobile phone. Reports can also be filed at any EPS division station. Anonymous information on these thefts can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm.