Police are urging all residents to lock their vehicles after a rash of thefts and vandalism occurred over the weekend.
Cpl. Rod Wiebe of the Revelstoke RCMP detachment said the first report was received on April 25 at 2 a.m. from the 1200 block of Oscar Street. A witness observed three males going through vehicles in the area. The men fled when someone screamed at them. Police recovered a black bag containing miscellaneous books and papers which was believed to have been dropped by the suspects. The only description obtained of the males was that they were in their early 20s and wearing hats.
The next call was received at 8:30 a.m. An owner of a vehicle also in the 1200 block of Oscar Street called to report that a pair of binoculars were stolen from his unlocked vehicle.
At approx. 11:15 a.m. another report came in from the 2600 block of Maplewood Street. Police attended and found that two vehicles had been entered. Thieves attempted to remove a stereo face plate from the first vehicle but were unsuccessful. A white residue believed to be from a fire extinguisher was found in the truck. Another truck a few doors down had its stereo faceplate stolen and there was a large amount of white residue in the vehicle. Both vehicles had been left unlocked.
Police continued on to the 400 block of Leach Street where again a fire extinguisher had been discharged into a truck. Nothing was taken from the vehicle. Again the vehicle had not been secured for the night.
On April 26 police responded to the 600 block of Barry Road. In this instance a vehicle was rummaged through and a fire extinguisher was stolen. The theft was believed to have occurred sometime after midnight on April 25.
The last call came in on April 27 but was believed to have occurred over the weekend. An unlocked vehicle was entered in the 600 block of Barry Road. Papers were strewn about the interior of the car but nothing was stolen.
“This type of crime is very opportunistic so the fix is relatively easy,” Wiebe said. “By locking your vehicle and ensuring items of value are out of sight, your risk of having your vehicle damaged or something stolen is drastically reduced. Often a locked door is enough of a deterrent for the would-be thief to move on.”
If you have information on this, or any other crime, contact your local RCMP Detachment or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or leave your information anonymously online at www.bccrimestoppers.com. You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest, or a conviction or the recovery of stolen property or the seizure of illicit drugs, you could be eligible for a cash reward.
