As the temperature rises so does the
number of property crimes in the area.
Last summer saw a spike in thefts
from vehicles and people stealing
vehicles.
In total, from April to September,
27 vehicles were broken into, 14
vehicles were stolen and 20 other
property crime related offences were
reported last year.
By fall RCMP had apprehended
three people who were charged and
sentenced in relation to the crimes.
But unfortunately several
residential break ins occurred over
the weekend in Cawston with thieves
specifically targeting unlocked sheds
and small buildings on properties.
Cpl. Sean Hall from the Keremeos
detachment said he’s concerned as the
numbers of those types of crimes will
increase.
“What happened is that we were
getting hammered with property
offences last year and then when
several people were arrested almost
all of it stopped. However, having said
that, it’s starting back up again and
we want the public to know so they
can do their part and keep their eyes
open,” he said.
Hall said a suspect has been
identified in the Cawston crimes
and the RCMP is in the process of
recovering the stolen property.
“We’ve got a resolve to those quite
quickly but that’s not always the case.
With the population boom that comes
to the area with tourists, farm workers,
and everything, the less likely that
they will stick out,” he said.
He asked the public to do their part
in preventing property related crimes.
Simple things that can be done
to make your car less of a target is
locking doors and removing valuable
items. If items cannot be removed the
RCMP recommends putting them out
of sight, so they are not tempting to
would be criminals.
People with ATVs and other
recreational motorized vehicles should
put them away when not in use in
sheds, garages or covered trailers.
“Always lock up your sheds. The
harder it is for them to get in there the
better the chance they won’t try or that
someone will notice,” he said.
Other tips include not posting to
social media when you will be away
from home. Asking a neighbour to
look in on your property when away.
Put your home on timer lights and
regularly picking up your mail.
If anyone sees anything suspicious
call police.