POLICE believe the dozens of vehicle break-ins that took place across the North Shore last week may be the work of one person or a small group.
The spree started Feb. 10 in West Vancouver, when the lowcrime community saw valuables taken from eight cars over a five-day period, most of them in the Ambleside area, according to police. The problem then moved to North Vancouver, where 28 thefts from cars were reported from Feb. 15-17. Those were concentrated mainly in the Upper Capilano and Upper Delbrook neighbourhoods.
The crimes were similar enough to lead investigators to suspect they were connected.
"Usually it's a handful of people who do these thefts-from-auto," said Cpl. Peter DeVries, a spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP. "They'll go on a little rampage in a neighbourhood and break into every car that has something valuable inside."
Although it's not unusual for the thefts to cluster, 28 in two days is a remarkably high number, he said. The crimes have slowed since then but not stopped, added DeVries. Five cars were reported broken into in North Vancouver on Sunday night.
On Friday, West Vancouver police announced they had arrested a man they believed to be connected to the spree. An officer reportedly spotted the 43-year-old behaving suspiciously in the 400-block of Eastcot Road. When the officer found he had suspected break-in tools with him, the officer arrested him. A search of the neighbourhood turned up a Ford F250 parked nearby that had been reported stolen from Surrey. It was filled with items that investigators suspect were pilfered from other vehicles.
West Vancouver police recommended numerous charges against the man, they said, but none of them were approved by Crown counsel, so the man was released.
North Vancouver's DeVries said the spate of thefts should serve as a reminder to drivers to take valuables with them when they park their cars. That includes any portable electronics, including GPS units, and even spare change, he said.
"Typically, it's whatever is in plain view," said DeVries. "The key is to make your vehicle as unappealing as possible."
Victims should always report thefts to police, he added. "There may be by chance one print left in your car. It could be the key to solving a host of other similar thefts."
The North Shore's two police forces are working together in an effort to bring the problem to an end, said DeVries.
Anyone who has had property stolen from a vehicle in recent days, and who believes it may be among the items recovered from the Surrey pickup, is asked to contact the West Vancouver police at 604925-7300.
