Vancouver police concerned by major spike in property crime, car thefts

Vancouver police are dealing with a serious spike in property crime and when it comes to theft from vehicles, the numbers are even worse.

New data from Vancouver police show in the first three months of 2016, property crime jumped nearly 26 per cent over the same time period last year. Business break-and-enters jumped 20 per cent and residential break-and-enters climbed more than 16 per cent.

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Theft from motor vehicles went up a whopping 50 per cent, with more than 1,000 break-ins each month.

“We’re taking huge steps backwards so it’s upsetting for us,” VPD Cst. Brian Montague said.

Police are pressing forward with public education, reminding people to properly secure their homes and vehicles and report any suspicious activity in their neighbourhood.

Montague said a group of chronic offenders are responsible for much of the city’s property crime.

“We know these offenders are getting out of custody,” he said. “If they are going to commit crimes again, how do we monitor that? How do we deal with that? And how do we get them back in custody as soon as possible if they are back in their crime cycles?”