For the second time in recent weeks, action by a sharp-eyed neighbour in Deep Cove has resulted in the arrest of a man who was allegedly breaking into cars.
A woman who lives on Brockton Crescent was out walking her dog around 6 a.m last Saturday when she noticed a man going from yard to yard in the neighbourhood, trying car doors.
She called police, who nabbed the man close by, carrying a backpack with what appeared to be stolen items. An 18-year-old North Vancouver man has now been charged with theft and possession of stolen property.
That arrest comes after another Deep Cove resident, on Panorama Drive, called police after being awakened by noise around 2 a.m. on Sept. 8 and spotting a man walking quickly away from his carport.
In that case, police brought in a tracking dog, which led them to a 31-year-old man hiding in a neighbour’s yard with a number of electronics. He was also arrested.
Both arrests highlight the need for residents to stay alert, and to phone police if they see something suspicious, said Corp. Richard De Jong, spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP.
They also come after a number of North Vancouver residents have voiced frustration about a recent spike in thefts from cars.
A town hall meeting on Sept. 22 drew a standing-room-only crowd of about 200 concerned Deep Cove residents to Parkgate Community Centre to talk about crime with North Vancouver RCMP. About 1,300 Deep Cove residents have also joined a new Facebook group called Take Back Our Community Deep Cove Area. The group was started by Deep Cove resident Deb Bramley after she and her husband had their vehicles broken into in May. Bramley brushed the thefts off as a “one-off” – until the crime stories kept coming in from her friends and neighbours.
DeJong said there has been an increase in thefts from vehicles in recent months. “They continue to remain high,” he said, but added reported cases aren’t coming in in record numbers. Most of the thefts are “crimes of opportunity” said De Jong – involving valuables that are left inside vehicles and vehicles that are left unlocked.
Some North Vancouver residents, however, are questioning whether there’s a more sinister explanation – including the possibility of a device that allows thieves entry into locked vehicles.
Chris Hough, who lives on Croft Road in Lynn Valley, started wondering after his Ford pickup truck was recently broken into twice. The first time someone stole about $500 worth of belongings, including sunglasses and an iPod, he said. He wasn’t sure if the truck had been locked. But the second time, “I know I locked it for sure,” he said.
The same thing happened to his wife’s Mustang, parked in the carport under their house. “I had parked it the night before,” he said. “I made sure the car was locked. It was unlocked in the morning.”
Other neighbours told him their vehicles, including a variety of makes and models, had also been broken into and “all of the neighbours claimed their cars were locked,” he said.
Hough said he researched the issue on the Internet and came up with the possibility that some thieves may be equipped with devices that can hack into keyless car entry systems.
De Jong said crime analysts believe such devices do exist, but added local police have never come across one.
Sgt. Brent Haines of the RCMP’s provincial auto crime team had a similar reaction. “There’s all these theories out there about these magical devices,” he said. “I’m convinced the technology is out there. But I haven’t seen any proof.”
What he has observed, said Haines, is thieves willing to check 50 car doors to find one that is open.
Hough said he now makes sure he doesn’t leave anything in his truck and has taken to leaving the outside lights on.
Those are moves local police agree with.
For the most part, said Haines, “It’s a crime of opportunity for these guys.”
