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Theft from unlocked cars up in Sooke

Exclusive MapleLine Magazine story ~ by Mary P. Brooke

MapleLine writes a regular police beat as a news service to readers.

November 23, 2010 - SOOKE, BC. Thefts from unlocked vehicles in residential areas have been up in recent months. However a recent arrest on November 18 may curtail the frequency of those activities, says Sooke RCMP S/Sgt Steve Wright.

"The curtailment will result from some good old fashioned police work," said Wright, noting that Constable Steve Murchie noticed some youth walking on Eustace Street near the Legion late one night, one of which he recognized as a repeat offender with outstanding warrants. At 2:30 am the officer observed 3 young people walking in the area; two males and one female, He stopped them and recognized one of them with four outstanding warrants in Sooke for breaching conditions of probation. He was then charged with 7 more counts of breaching other orders that he is on.

"The officer started another investigation, on theft from vehicles. We’ve been able to identify 50 vehicles that this person and his associates are responsible for," said S/Sgt Wright. The RCMP is now trying to return property that have been reported as stolen. "The persons responsible for these thefts were going out each night looking for unlocked vehicles," said Wright. "Cash, CDs, and GPS -- small things they can carry, including cash and cigarettes, this is what they're taking." If anyone has been a victim of such incidences and haven’t reported they should call and speak to Steve Murchie Constable, who is still recovering property and identifying owners. The suspects have the items stashed in their homes. Sometimes they throw in the bushes after they commit the offence and they use the cash for buying cigarettes.

"It's important to keep vehicles locked at night. Unlocked vehicles are purposely targeted. It's just laziness on the part of vehicle owners. They figure nothing is of value," said Wright. He says that garage door openers left in vehicles can be used for access to homes. GPS units are expensive to purchase and impossible to trace. "This is happening all over Sooke, from Kaltasin to Grant Road. Our constable took them to quite a few streets and they identified quite a few cars they have been through. If people don’t learn (and still leave their vehicles unlocked) this could still happen. But getting caught is a deterrent," the Sooke RCMP officer said.

If people aren't going to be home, they should keep some lights on inside the house. A darkened house is a clear message that nobody is home. In winter the Staff Sergeant says to keep driveways clear of snow if you're going to be away. And have someone shovel the driveway for you. "If there are no tracks in the snow it possibly means nobody is home. Keep doors and windows locked. We're changing people’s way of doing things (from rural relaxed ways to more cautious urban ways). We're so close to Greater Victoria -- lots of criminals come here from Victoria and go back again. It’s not the way it was 20 years ago. Property has to be protected. Write down serial numbers for bicycles, TVs and other household items. Don’t leave expensive jewelry and large sums of cash in your house. Also protect passports," says Wright.