RCMP recommend crime prevention tips to avoid break and enters

The RCMP is asking Albertans to protect their homes and properties from any spring break and enters. They are offering some tips on how to do so. Last year 10,529 break and enters were reported to police including those that took place at outbuildings. Jennifer Kee, with the RCMP, says by practicing certain safety tips you can lessen the chance of your home being broken into.

“When your outside and your beginning your spring cleanup, it never hurts to look around to make sure you know when we are done doing maintenance around our yard, always just make that we are putting any type of property away. That can be from a shovel to a rake down to the most minute detail. The reason we are suggesting this is simply because these are crimes of opportunity. Crimes of opportunity are typically dealt with potential thieves or as we call them offenders, that want to come quickly onto your property, grab what they can and leave quickly with minimal risk of being caught or seen.”

During the pandemic, with more Canadians working from home, Stats Canada says police-reported crimes were down by 195,000 incidents in 2020 compared with 2019. There were still over 2 million criminal code incidents reported including a large number of break and enters.