Ladysmith has been hit with another rash of thefts from vehicles in the last two weeks.
According to Ladysmith RCMP Staff Sgt. Roger Plamondon, 11 thefts occurred in a seven-day period from August 2 to August 8.
“We’ve certainly experienced a spike here in the last couple of weeks,” he said.
“There’s been a spike in offenses in both Duncan and Nanaimo, but those offenses are around break and enters.”
Police believe there may be more than one person responsible for the thefts because of the type of offenses that are involved in various locations in the community, Plamondon said.
“We have surfaced a suspect from one of those thefts and the individual is well known to us. We’re using our forensic identification section to assist with anything that we are able to utilize to garner some evidence at the crime scenes,” he said.
“They’re very hard offenses to get criminal convictions on.”
Plamondon added that in more than 75 per cent of thefts from vehicles, the vehicles had been left unlocked.
“Don’t leave any valuables in your vehicle, because they’re looking for things that they can grab and usually it’s change.
“The thing that always concerns me is wallets and purses being left behind and especially credit cards.”
Thefts
August 2: 3500 block of Spitfire. Arbutus RV Service called to report 10 RV’s being damaged over the long weekend. The power cord wire from the RV’s had been cut for the copper wire inside. The power cords were black and one-inch thick. In one RV, they were able to get at a TV that was on the outside of the RV behind a closed compartment.
August 2: 2900 block of Riverbend Road. Sometime over the weekend, a Makita chopsaw was stolen from the back of an open truck that was parked in a shed at the back of a property. The rental chopsaw was worth $1,000.
August 3: 3400 block of Trans-Canada Highway. A truck that had been parked overnight had one tarp stolen from a semi. The tarp is heavy and valued at approximately $3,500.
August 5: 10000 block of Westdowne Road. A theft from vehicle occurred at the Town and Country Trailer Park. The complainant stated that near the time the theft had occurred, there had been a male in his 20’s walking around the park. A male was later spoken to the next day and he admitted to going through the vehicle and taking approximately $8.
August 5: 400 block of Esplanade. The rear plate was stolen from a vehicle.
August 5: 900 block of Ludlow Road. Someone stole a purse, wallet, CDs and CD player from a vehicle that had been left unattended for a few hours.
August 7: 12000 block of Rocky Creek Road. A vehicle left in a parking lot overnight had been damaged. Stolen were a light blue golf jacket, a blanket and a sleeping bag. The steering column had been torn apart and papers were spread around inside the vehicle. The owner of the vehicle was visiting from Alberta.
August 8: 400 block of Davis Road. A pair of sunglasses were stolen from a vehicle parked in a driveway. There was no damage done.
August 8: 1200 block of Rocky Creek. A truck from Van-Isle Truck Tech Ltd was stolen.
August 8: 11000 block of Westdowne Road. A Samsung cellphone was stolen from a vehicle that was unlocked in a driveway.
August 8: 500 block of Louise Road. Someone entered an unlocked vehicle and stole a portable Tom Tom GPS, valued at $525, a set of compact Bushnel binoculars, valued at just over $200 and $35 in loose change.