Crime on the rise

The week of Aug. 29 to Sept. 6 was a busy one for the RCMP Rural Detachment responding to reports of residential break-ins at Sun Peaks.

The reported crimes were centred primarily around Alpine Road, Sunburst Drive and Fairways Drive.  While most were break and enter incidents only, some property was taken from at least two residences.

“There were a few (incidents) that it appears that they broke into the residences, but nothing was taken,” says RCMP rural detachment commander Wes Waters. “One almost appeared that somebody stayed in there during the evening, and there were a couple of others that had big screen TVs taken out of them.”

The number of reported break and enter occurrences increased by 10 over the same period last year, begging the question, who is watching out for their neighbours?

“Residents of Sun Peaks should be familiar with what’s happening in their neighbourhood,” says Waters. “Certainly, if people see somebody carrying TVs or anything suspicious, they should report it. The problem is a lot of people don’t know their neighbours because of the amount of rentals. It’s easier to phone the police when you see (suspicious activity) than it is to let it go.  We certainly don’t mind looking into it; it’s easier to look into something at the time, than to try to backtrack to find somebody who witnessed it.”

Last year there was a similar rash of break and enter incidents reported, however, they took place later in the fall.

“We had the same thing happen last year,” he continues, “except that it was a bit later, beginning Oct. 5.”

Aside from the break and enter reports there was also a suspected case of vandalism when a vehicle, parked in resident Joel Rivera’s driveway, was damaged.

Not everyone thinks to call the RCMP when they see minor damage or when they’ve experienced a theft, yet it’s important that all suspicious activities be reported.

“I did report to the RCMP, because of the other break-ins the previous week,” says Rivera. “If we want to get more RCMP to patrol up here, they need to know”.

“It’s important that all suspicious activities be reported immediately to the RCMP,” says Waters.

The best way to handle break and enter events is to prevent temptation. If your home will be vacant for an extended period of time:

• Don’t leave a light on in the house.  One single light left on constantly serves as a beacon to intruders, telling them no one is home. Instead connect several lights to timers to go on and off throughout the day, and use motion detection lighting outdoors.
• Don’t let your sliding doors slide.  If your home has sliding glass doors, install a burglar bar as a supplementary lock.
• Do tell your neighbours when your house will be vacant and ask them to keep an eye on things in your absence.

To report suspicious activity in your neighbourhood contact RCMP Rural Detachment at 250-314-1800