Calgary police say the introduction of two new break-and-enter teams has resulted in roughly 600 charges being laid and the recovery of nearly $850,000 in stolen property.
The new teams investigate both commercial and residential break-ins throughout Calgary.
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According to the Calgary Police Service (CPS), establishing the groups allows officers to better detect cases that may be connected, identify suspects, and recover stolen property.
Police say on average, 23 break and enters occur in Calgary every day. Of those, eight are residential break-ins.
“For the first three quarters of this year, citywide break and enters were up 39 per cent from the five-year average,” a Monday news release said. “Break and enters are also increasingly being linked to stolen vehicles and drug crimes throughout the city, creating the need to refocus current resources.”
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In half of the city’s break and enters, police said offenders were able to gain access to a residence without applying any force.
As such, the CPS is reminding Calgarians to:
- Always remove garage door openers from vehicles parked near your residence.
- Secure all of your windows and doors, even if you are home.
- Keep your car keys in an unlikely place, not right beside your door for thieves to easily find.
- Keep irreplaceable documents, photos and items in an unlikely place.
- Get to know your neighbours.
- Never leave keys in an unattended vehicle, especially while warming up vehicles in cold weather.
If you spot any suspicious people or activities in your community, you’re asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or 911 for a crime in progress.