Theft and vandalism aren’t new issues in the construction industry, but some in Lethbridge say the crime has ramped up over the last year or so.
Between heaters, lumber and electrical wiring in homes, those impacted say the stolen items are taking a toll on both time and money.
“Different builders have been getting (hit) a little bit more than others, different areas of the west side,” explained Joel Spanos, construction manager at Stranville Living Master Builder, who says they’ve been one of the luckier ones.
“Some people have tried cameras… the cameras end up getting stolen. It’s just a constant battle.”
It’s a battle the groups are hoping to take on with the help of the Lethbridge Police Service.
Bridget Mearns, executive officer with the Building & Land Development Association, helped organize a meeting with LPS earlier this week to discuss what both sides are seeing.
“There’s been a number of properties that have been hit a few times, which is making it frustrating,” Mearns said.
“To see it to this extent, and now is more devastating for sure. It’s adding time, it’s adding expense (at a time) when everything is already super tight.”
Sgt. Liam Breedon, an officer with the property crimes unit, said there have been more than 30 occurrences reported to police between Jan. 1, 2022, and the end of November, including six thefts from construction sites, 19 thefts from construction trailers, 10 break and enters to homes under construction and one theft of a construction trailer.
After speaking with those in the industry, he believes this reflection is likely quite low as many instances are not reported to police.
“A lot of people feel like there’s no point — you’ve lost it, you’re not getting it back,” said Spanos.
“The feedback we got from police is that if there aren’t reports on the theft, then it’s tough for them to put the resources toward it.”
When it comes to who is committing the crimes, Breedon explained there could be a mixture of those looking for a quick return by selling smaller scraps and those removing larger items for sale back into the industry.
“There’s a huge cost of these items, there’s a chance that some of these are being taken and sold elsewhere, some of our copper thefts and things like that that we see that are stolen from the houses are stripped of their plastic coating and then are salvaged off,” he explained.
While builders and contractors come up with solutions on their end, the public can also help by keeping an eye out.
Residents living near new construction are encouraged to report any suspicious activity.
Breedon added due to noise bylaws, work is unlikely to happen outside of normal daytime hours.
“If you start seeing people coming in — especially larger vehicles, trucks, trucks with trailers and things like that — at you know some weird times, one, two, three o’clock in the morning and then flashlights at a construction site, there’s a strong possibility that’s not someone from that trade.”