(Submitted photo/Mike Remy)

By Ian Gustafson

Vandalism

P.A. man has tires slashed on new vehicle, police working with proactive units to target property crime

May 13, 2022 | 8:00 AM

A Prince Albert man is frustrated after his brand-new vehicle was vandalized this week. Meanwhile the Prince Albert Police Service is working at combatting property crime in our community.

Mike Remy, who resides in the midtown area of the city, woke up to an unfortunate surprise Wednesday morning. His brand-new SUV had two of his driver’s side tires slashed.

After reporting it to the police online he was told he would get a phone call from a sergeant but has yet to receive the call. He also had to file an insurance claim.

Remy told paNOW walking outside to see this happen to his vehicle was heartbreaking.

“It really brings a guy down because you go out and you have a brand-new vehicle sitting out on the street,” he said. “Most of these properties are owned…we do have some low-income housing down here, but a lot of properties are owned or upkept. It’s for the most part a really nice area and then you come outside, and you see something like that happen, it’s frustrating. Especially the fact you see it happen to multiple people and nothing is done about it.”

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Remy is a part of a Midtown crime watch page on Facebook where members of the neighbourhood report about what’s happening. Every day he said there’s three or four incidents posted on the page of various crimes. There have been instances of windows being smashed and gas tanks being drilled.

“That night that happened there’s about five other things I believe had been reported to the police had definitely been put on that Facebook watch group. Every where from a rock being thrown through someone’s window, to an attempted home invasion, tires being slashed, back window of a vehicle was busted out that night.”

He said he can only speak for midtown, but it seems as though the area has been forgotten and the crime is getting worse.

He believes the incident to his SUV was random in nature after seeing other residents have the same thing done to their vehicle.

To help deter further crime he thinks a curfew being implemented in the area could be useful as there is a lot of foot traffic and people riding bikes at night this time of year. He said he would also like to see a bigger police presence, although he knows how busy they are.

“I don’t know how to stop it I don’t know how to get by it. It’s heartbreaking watching it because there’s people who work hard down here especially to keep their properties nice and they get damaged or they get broken into,” he added.

According to the Prince Albert Fire Department Facebook page, on May 11 they responded to the 500 block of 26th Street East for a fuel leak from a vehicle.

Once they arrival they found a vehicle which seemed to have been vandalized causing it to leak fuel. The fuel leak was plugged, and they cleaned the fuel from the road.

Police working to prevent

In an email response from the Prince Albert Police Service, they said they’re working to target property crime. They have several proactive units working to target mischief, theft, and vandalism. These units include the Proactive Police Unit, Community Policing Unit, and Community Safety Officers.

In a document supplied by police it states in February 2022, there were 204 reports of property crime, which is higher than in February 2021 when there was 189. Wilful damage also went up from 97 to 124.

“Our proactive members are in regular communication with residents and community watch groups to hear concerns and answer questions,” as stated in the email. “We know there are a number of active residential crime watch groups on social media and we appreciate their help in reporting what they see and hear in their neighbourhoods. The new video we just issued was produced in response to community questions and support residents in knowing how and when to report suspicious activity or crime. When residents call police to report what they’re seeing in their neighbourhoods, we can respond but also help identify areas where we can direct more resources and patrols.”

Some tips to prevent your vehicle from being damaged include keeping your doors and windows locked, keep valuables out of sight, park in well lit areas or a garage, don’t keep garage door openers inside your vehicle, and consider installing alarms in your home and vehicle.

“It’s a good habit to get into to check if everything is locked before going to bed each night. Get into a routine of checking doors and windows on your vehicle, garage/shed and home to ensure they are locked. Motion sensor lighting around your property is also helpful, along with alarms,” as stated in the email. “The same tips can be helpful to help prevent thefts of gas and catalytic converters from vehicles. We have responded to these types of incidents in both residential and commercial areas, compounds and parking lots, at various times of the day or night.”

The police service will also be welcoming five new recruits at the end of May to add to their numbers on patrol. They have been training since January.

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Ian.Gustafson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @IanGustafson12