By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: April. 9, 2013
Local police are busy investigating a spate of break and enter incidents in downtown Squamish.
Three incidents have been reported in last week alone, with businesses targeted on Cleveland and Second Ave.
The incidents follow a grim pattern: Crime stats made available by RCMP to council show there were 79 businesses broken into last year.
In 2011, there were 78 such incidents.
In the latest business break and enter, police responded to a report of an alarm at a business on Cleveland Ave.
The alarm scared the suspect, but video footage revealed him to be a 41-year-old Squamish resident well-known to the local police.
He was later arrested for the break-in.
In a similar incident, police received a report of storage lockers having been broken into at a business facility on Second Ave. On scene, police found three storage lockers broken into and the locks cut off.
Items were seized by police at the scene for forensic examination to assist in identifying a potential suspect.
On April.3, police again received a report of a break and enter at a Cleveland Ave. business.
A resident in the building heard noises at the business, and later found a man in the store who then fled the scene, southbound on Cleveland Ave.
A police service dog was called out to track the suspect, but he was unable to be located.
Items were seized at the scene for forensic examination in an attempt to identify the suspect.
The suspect is Caucasian, approx. 180 lbs, 5’8″, with a stocky build and wearing a black jacket or hooded sweater.
Last month, the non-profit Pearl’s Second store was also broken into.
Andrea Gailus says
Thieves have been targeting parking structures in downtown Squamish as well. DO NOT LET ANYONE INTO YOUR BUILDING THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW! Be vigilant. One thief wears a heavy duty white motocross bike helmet and they strike in the dead of night. DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN YOUR VEHICLES. Thanks to the RCMP for your vigilence. Theft is rampant and all citizens must be alert.
Dottie says
Can we say ‘block watch’ and perhaps maybe 1 good old-fashioned ‘walk the beat’ police officer.
I live in view of the Rockcliff condos (downtown) and watch groups of teens (no slight intended toward teens – just describing those I’ve witnessed) leaping over the fence and into the vacant Solterra lot behind Rockcliff. I’ve called dispatch a few times because I came home one afternoon to a mobile shed, in that vacant lot, ablaze and many fire trucks on site to put it out.
Thanks for the article reminding us all to stay vigilant and watch out for thy neighbor.
L Murray says
Crime Stoppers is available to everyone with information about crimes. Crime Stoppers is totally anonymous from start to end. Rewards can be offered for tip information leading to an arrest or recovery of stolen property. Call, text or visit solvecrime.ca to provide your anonymous information.