The Prince George RCMP say property related crime is up 30% this year compared to the same period in 2016.
From January 1st to February 19th, the RCMP have received 661 reports of property crimes. During the same time last year, there were just 503.
Thefts from vehicles have risen 15% with 88 incidents reported so far this year. The RCMP says Heritage area and Downtown are being hit particularly hard, as are commercial parking lots.
In some cases, licence plates or validation decals are being stolen.
“Like many other communities, there are people that walk residential streets late at night or early in the morning, checking every car door to see if it is unlocked” says Cpl. Craig Douglass, spokesperson for the Prince George RCMP. “Residents that leave valuables in their vehicles and their doors unlocked are fuelling this property crime trend. We need to all do our part to eliminate this crime. Don’t be a victim. Remove valuables, lock doors and report suspicious activity to police.”
Businesses are also being broken into more often. Residents reported 32 incidents between January 1st and February 19th of this year. There were 15 reported in the same period last year. Doors are sometimes pried open and gated compounds have been targeted as well. RCMP are advising business owners to take the necessary steps to ensure your business has adequate security in place.