Williams Lake RCMP are asking the public to keep on the lookout for any suspicious activity as the city experiences a sharp increase in residential and business break ins.
“There’s been 28-plus break and enters in the last three weeks or so,” said Staff Sgt. Del Byron. “We are asking the public to be vigilant in their observations of goings on in their communities and give us a call if they see anything suspicious.”
For their part, Byron said the local RCMP has several units working on the problem; from general members increasing their patrols to members of the GIS/Crime Reduction Unit engaging in proactive work while forensic identification officers have been collecting blood samples and fingerprints from crime scenes.
“These samples are being processed as we speak,” said Byron. “We’re doing everything we can.”
The latest break and enter victims include the Williams Lake Veterinary Hospital on March 5 where police were called to the scene at 1:18 a.m. Sunday morning after an alarm went off to find the reception area ransacked and cash stolen. Byron said police collected evidence from a blood smear on the counter in that case.
Police also received a report of a break in at a residence in the 2000 block of Aquaview Place off of South Lakeside Drive after the home owners returned from being away. That break in occurred sometime between Feb. 18 and March 3.
Another break and enter report was filed March 3 for a home in the 2000 block of Dog Creek Road.
Byron is asking residents who are away to have someone look after their home and keep an eye in it. He is also asking business owners to remove cash from their premises every night.
“We are discouraging people from leaving cash in their businesses,” he said. “That seems to be what the suspects are targeting.”
Anyone with information about these or other crimes is asked to contact the Williams Lake detachment at 250-392-6211 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
