Ottawa Police have charged two local men with damage to property and theft, after a recent spike of thefts from vehicles in the downtown area that prompted a special public alert from investigators.
In late January and early February, there were 85 reported thefts from vehicles in the Byward Market and 28 in Centretown, says Insp. Chris Rheaume of the Ottawa Police Service, adding that the two they arrested are believed to be responsible for about 60 per cent of those crimes. One man was charged with 16 counts of theft and damage to property, says Rheaume.
“These guys are smashing into cars with their fists through the windows,” alleges Rheaume. “We caught one guy in the act.”
Unfortunately, the valuables stolen in the smash-and-grab incidents were not recovered, says Rheaume.
“They’re stealing laptops, cellphones, all that stuff, they take it to the local pawn shop and they get money for it, or they sell in on the road,” he says.
The usual number of thefts from vehicles in the downtown area is two or three per week, says Rheaume. The sudden increase in incidents happens every year around Christmas and Winterlude, due to the increased number of people and cars in the area, he notes.
“It’s a crime of opportunity,” says Rheaume.
When spare change, phones, laptops, purses and the like are left in plain view, thieves will either smash the window or pry it open and grab what they can, he says. Locking your doors is not enough to completely prevent this.
In 2012, Somerset ward — which encompasses all of the neighbourhoods comprising Centretown — had a crime rate of 12,681, about three times higher than Ottawa’s average crime rate of 4,102.
Const. Matthew Hunt of the Centretown Community Police Centre says that the main thing he can do to help deter this kind of theft is educate the public. The police have an “all valuables removed” program aimed at educating people about the risks of leaving valuables in cars.
“We like to think that we will always have a safe neighbourhood, but there will always be some element of the community that feels that (stealing) is what they need to do, for one reason or another,” says Rheaume. “So, we just need to take precautions on our own, to make sure that we protect our goods and our property.”
As part of the educational program, Hunt is planning to go to the problem parts of Centretown — the areas that have had the most thefts from vehicles — and hand out pamphlets and talk to people.
Robert Dekker, co-chair of the Centretown Citizens Community Association planning committee, says that he has faith in the police.
“I have to think that the police are doing what they can, with the patrols, whether they be on foot or whether they’re in cars, ensuring that no vehicles are being stolen or being broken into,” says Dekker.
But at some point, he says, it’s up to people to make sure they are not leaving valuables in their car, or if they are, that they are hidden. Rheaume and Hunt concur.
“If you’re okay with losing a $100 GPS and leaving it in the car, because you can afford a new one, well, OK,” says Rheaume. “But if not, the GPS, and the other things you might have, your electronics or valuables, they should come out of the car every night.”