High number of nighttime break-ins in south Calgary

The Calgary Police Service continues to urge Calgarians to take steps to protect their home and vehicles, after a series of nighttime break-ins occurred in southeast Calgary on Monday, all while the residents were asleep inside their homes.

Between approximately 12 a.m. and 4 a.m., on Monday, Sept. 21, 2015, an unknown number of suspects entered into three residences, and tried to enter a fourth, along the western edge of New Brighton. Several small items were stolen, including wallets, purses and electronics.

In two of the cases, suspects entered through unlocked windows after cutting through the screens and in the third they pried open a window. In the case of the fourth residence, the suspects were prevented from entering when the windows they tried were all locked.

The Calgary Police Service District 8 office is currently investigating approximately 156 house and garage break-ins that have occurred in south Calgary since June 2015. This is nearly double the number that occurred during the same period last year.

Break and enters in parts of south Calgary tend to be higher at night and in the early morning hours. Often, thieves are able to easily enter homes, garages and vehicles through unlocked doors or windows.

Police are asking for Calgarians’ help to prevent these types of crimes. Citizens can help protect their property and vehicles by:

• Always locking vehicle, garage and house doors, even if you are nearby or only leaving for a short period of time. It may help to establish a routine where you check all doors and windows before leaving your home or going to bed.

• Not leaving vehicles unattended with the keys inside, and making sure spare keys are kept in a secure location not in or around your vehicle.

• Hiding or removing valuables, including garage door openers, from your vehicle so that they are not visible to people walking by.

• Securing your vehicle if you need to leave it running by either locking the doors or using a steering wheel lock so it cannot be driven easily.

• Reporting any suspicious activity to police immediately by calling 403-266-1234, or 9-1-1 if there is a crime in progress.

Police continue to investigate break and enters across the city and anyone with information about who may be responsible for any of these offences is asked to contact the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234, or Crime Stoppers using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
TEXT: tttTIPS to 274637