Date: June 4, 2021
File: 21-11837
An arrest was made Tuesday, June 1st, 2021 of a prolific criminal who Saanich Police believe was responsible for a rash of thefts from vehicles over the past several weeks, primarily in the north area of Saanich.
Officers with the Street Crime Unit were able to locate and arrest a 42-year-old man on Tuesday that was well known to them for a lengthy history of targeting unlocked vehicles in the region. The suspect would steal items such as cash, wallets, purses, jewellery and credit cards, of which he would then make fraudulent purchases at various stores. Over the course of an evening, it would not be uncommon for him to enter 80-100 vehicles looking for these items. A search warrant was conducted on his residence in Esquimalt the same day as his arrest, which yielded recovered stolen items from several of these thefts from vehicles in Saanich, and some as well in the Esquimalt and Westshore area.
“We understand that this suspect targeted specific areas of Saanich due to his previous years of knowledge that these areas were known to have a combination of more unlocked vehicles and items of value left inside overnight than other areas in our area. While officers with our Street Crime Unit continue to investigate the property-related offences committed in our community, our crime prevention efforts are also increasing to help remind residents of the role that they play in locking out auto crime.”
Cst. Markus Anastasiades
Public Information and Communications Officer