Police are investigating a theft spree that desecrated hundreds of cemetery plots in northwest Calgary.
Sometime between Aug. 18 and Aug. 23, 300 bronze memorial plaques were removed from the Queen’s Park Cemetery at 3219 Fourth Street N.W. An undisclosed number of bronze flower vases were also stolen.
Family members attending the cemetery told staff of the missing plaques, who went on to report the thefts to the police.
“The theft of these plaques will undoubtedly leave citizens feeling disappointed and upset,” Staff Sgt. Colin Chisholm said in a statement.
Investigators believe the plaques were stolen with the aim of selling the bronze, a metal that has seen increased prices.
“They try to take these things to metal recyclers to get not even pennies on the dollar for what they’re actually worth,” Chisholm told reporters, noting investigators are working with scrap metal purchasers. “These things are not the value of the metal itself, but it’s all the work that goes into it.
“And of course, it’s the personal value, it’s the intangible value.”
Chisholm said so far, Queen’s Park Cemetery is the only city cemetery to be targeted for its bronze plaques. He also noted other bronze monuments have been stolen elsewhere in the city.
Anyone with information about this incident or other plaque thefts is asked to call the police non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers.