BIBLE HILL - Gangs of brazen, late-night thieves are striking a veritable gold mine of cash and valuables from Colchester County vehicles, police say.
"In the last three months, with the number of thefts in vehicles we've had, if we were to guesstimate the value of property stolen, and cash, we would be up over $50,000," said RCMP Sgt. Al Affleck.
"The younger criminal element realizes they're on to a gold mine here where they can go around in packs and hit neighbourhoods and jimmy cars and don't break anything and take what's left behind. And it's just like fishing and they're getting, my God, they're hitting jackpots with cash. You'd be surprised at how many people leave hundreds of dollars in their vehicle."
Between the first of April and yesterday, the RCMP in Colchester County have responded to 144 individual incidents of thefts from vehicles.
That compares to 35 similar incidents for the same period last year.
Despite repeated warnings from police for people to remove valuables from their vehicles and lock the doors overnight, the relentless number of "crimes-of-opportunity" continue to grow.
"In the last week, I bet we've had the dog out three times chasing people. And they're so elusive. They don't stop they'll just go forever and run through rivers and bushes and tracks and phone someone to pick them up," Affleck said. "Like, were getting close every night but we're just not getting any luck ...
"They're bold, they're brazen, to me they're like snakes in the grass, they don't want you to see them. They want to do it all covertly ... Typical cowardly thieves."
Affleck said he is surprised at the amount of cash and valuables, such as cell phones, digital cameras, GPS units and other electronic equipment that people continue to leave in their vehicles overnight.
"They've gone from where they used to take every cent that was in the vehicle," he said of the thieves. "Now they're just taking toonies, loonies and quarters because they don't want to be carrying around all these dimes, nickels and pennies, 'cause that's how much they're getting," he said.
"It's very serious. It's serious in the context that everybody is a potential victim. Everybody is a potential target because these people are going basically from community to community at random, picking a street, starting at one end of the street and going through every car they can walk to."
And Affleck believes there is more than one gang of thieves – aged between 14 and 25 – who are perpetrating the thefts.
"They're organized, we know that."
Another problem police are encountering among theft victims is that they cannot always identify the make or model of the item stolen.
And he also believes there are many unreported incidents by people whose vehicles have been rummaged through but where nothing was stolen so they don't want to bother calling in the police.
"At this point, they're not a bother. Any piece of information we can get will put us one step closer," he stressed.
Affleck also suggests reporting any suspicious behaviour or nighttime noise to police and if you should see an item that was dropped by a potential thief, leave it where it is until it can be properly retrieved by authorities.
"We really rely on public information and their diligence," he said. "Let's assume someone is stealing something from you and call 9-1-1 right away."
And, if you do have something stolen, Affleck said, check such Internet sites as Kijiji in the event it has been posted for sale.
