Victim of theft cautions Kamloops residents to be wary in warm weather

Jul 29, 2016 | 2:12 PM

KAMLOOPS — A woman who has been the victim of multiple property crimes within a one-week time period is hoping her story will prevent future crimes. 

Rhian Williams says her 6th Avenue residence was first broken into last Thursday evening. She says the thieves broke in through a window. 

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“I had the window open for some air ventilation,” Williams said, “a window that couldn’t be seen from the road, and that was sort of my dressing room/second bedroom. They actually just took out the screen, and took off all the knick-knacks off the shelf there and climbed in through the window.”

Williams says approximately $8,000 worth of valuables were stolen from inside the home.

“All of my jewelry, and in fact an iPad and a Samsung tablet,” she said. “(They) had walked through the house into my bedroom, taken my partner’s jewelry boxes, empty because he already had them on while he was at work. Then we walked through and realized they had taken my wallet and stolen my car.”

But that wasn’t the end of it, Williams also witnessed someone running through her property last night, July 28, and she knows it wasn’t the same person.

“Those are separate incidences, two different people, because the first set of people were arrested down in Vancouver with my car, and now there’s a secondary break-in.”

Williams says despite the hot weather she will no longer be keeping her windows open to catch a breeze. 

She adds that she wants people to be aware that even if they feel like they are in a safe neighbourhood, break-ins are possible anywhere.

So far, Williams hasn’t gotten any of the stolen items back. 

RCMP admit there has been an increase in property crimes in Kamloops and the surrounding areas.

However, Inspector Sunny Parmar says there are a few things people can do to deter thieves from entering their properties. 

“I recognize with the heat that we’ve got going on people are leaving windows open, maybe securing windows in such a way that you can still allow the air to flow and not let anybody into the (residence),” Parmar said. 

Parmar adds it’s important to make sure valuable items in cars are out of plain sight and to lock the doors. 

He says he doesn’t know what is causing the increase in property crimes, but the crime tends to be cyclical, and RCMP are working to address the issue. 

“I want to assure the citizens of Kamloops and the surrounding area that we are very much committed to the safety and security of all the residents,” Parmar said. “To that end, we have created a dedicated property crime unit to ensure that we can address this crime type.”