A jump in Surrey home thefts has RCMP sending out warnings to the public.
Between April and June of this year, there have been 37 break and enters in Surrey where the suspect gained entry to the home through the garage using a garage door opener taken from a vehicle.
In April and May, garage door openers have respectively accounted for three and four per cent of residential break ins.
In June, that number has jumped to 11 per cent.
The jump in break ins comes on the heels of large drops in property crime during the first three months of this year.
Surrey RCMP are anxious to get in front of the recent trend.
“Taking steps to help reduce property crime is everyone’s responsibility,” said Cpl. Scotty Schumann. “It only takes a thief a few moments to get into your car, find the garage door opener, and then have access to your home. Take the time to remove all valuables from plain sight in your vehicle including garage door openers.”
Schumann said, as it is in many cases, the recent spike in break ins could well be the work of a few.
The patterns are somewhat the same.
A perpetrator breaks into a car on the street, where a garage door opener is visible. He or she then tries the door opener until a garage opens.
Often, the homeowner has not secured the door from the garage into the house, so the home entry is a matter of walking in.
Surrey RCMP’s Property Crime Target Team (PCTT) is working closely with crime analysts to identify suspects and areas where similar crimes might occur. This helps police plan and target their uniformed and plainclothes enforcement activities. The PCTT is also actively identifying, tracking, and arresting chronic offenders who are responsible for committing a large percentage of these crimes.
For more information on how to protect your home, property and vehicle, please visit the RCMP website at http://bit.ly/24W9kn3.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or www.solvecrime.ca.
