The Vancouver Police Department is asking residents to keep vigilant, following several recent residential break-and-enters.

Between April 12th and 14th, there were at least five early-morning break-ins where the thief not only entered through an unlocked window or door, but did so while someone was home at the time.

  • In one case, entry was gained through an unlocked bedroom window. Several rooms were rummaged through and a laptop was stolen. It wasn’t until the thief triggered the alarm while exiting the house that the resident was awakened.
  • A thief was scared off after he woke the resident of an apartment while entering an unlocked bedroom window.
  • A man woke to the sound of his blinds and curtains moving. He walked into the living room to find a thief standing by the window. When confronted, the thief jumped out the window and ran away.
  • A suspect gained entry through an unlocked front window. The crime was discovered when the homeowner woke up to find property missing and items left outside the rear door.
  • A thief entered the home through an unlocked garage door. Again, the residents were sleeping as this person walked through their home stealing valuables.

Property crime has actually decreased in Vancouver so far this year. In the first quarter of 2013, reported property crime decreased 3.4% when compared to the same quarter last year.

There have been 591 residential break-and-enters in 2013 to-date compared with 596 last year. Many of these residential break-ins show no signs of forced entry.

“Ensuring your doors and windows are locked is a simple deterrent,” says Constable Brian Montague. “Don’t make it easy for someone to break-in to your house.”