Police in Kelowna are appealing for public help after four large memorial plaques were stolen from a local cemetery earlier in the week.
According to the RCMP, the plaques were swiped from Lakeview Memorial Gardens, located on Dry Valley Road just north of the airport, sometime between 5 p.m. on Wednesday and 7 a.m. on Thursday.
Police say each of the memorial plaques honoured more than 60 individuals, and that their combined total is worth several thousand dollars.
“This theft is very disheartening,” said Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.
“Not only does this crime impact countless families and loved one of those who were memorialized on the specialized plaques. We are told one of those plaques was a war memorial, which honoured the names of dozens of Canadian veterans.”
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Police said the suspect or suspects would have needed to pry free the 2.5-foot by 3.5-foot bronze plaques, which were secured with bolts to stone walls. They would have also needed a vehicle to transport them from the cemetery.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Cst. Marshall Slarks of the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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O’Donaghey is also asking those responsible to “do the proper thing . . . turn over the memorial plaques to your nearest police detachment, community policing office or return them.”