RCMP officials are warning rural residents in the region to be on the lookout for break and enter suspects staking out properties by approaching residences and asking fake questions.
“Always be cautious that maybe they are coming and asking a question when in reality they are scouting out the properties to see if anyone is home or not,” said Didsbury RCMP Sgt. Jeff Jacobson. “In rural areas it is something to be cognizant of.
“Who is coming to the door? Why are they coming to your door? Certainly we encourage people to be on the lookout for anything suspicious or when individuals are coming to your door.
“Quite often what we find with people who are breaking in, they will do a test knock or doorbell ring prior to breaking in just to confirm that nobody is home. Chances are they have tried four or five places before they hit someplace where nobody is home.”
Residents who encounter suspicious individuals coming to their door can help police in a number of ways, he said.
“If somebody is coming by your house, makes some notes, grab a licence plate number and if you are really suspicious, call it in and we will make a patrol to see what is going on,” he said, adding that rural residents are always encouraged to join rural crime watch organizations and citizens on patrol groups.
Jacobson noted that there has been a recent overall increase in break-ins of rural properties in the district.
“We have certainly seen an increase in break and enters over last year,” he said. “A lot of them are outbuildings, Quonsets and those sorts of things, with a variety of items being taken. We've also had break and enters in the oilfield, involving copper wire thefts.”
In one troubling recent incident, a Water Valley area senior was pepper sprayed when she confronted four individuals on her property on Oct. 13.
Police are continuing to look for those suspects and are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers.
"Certainly we encourage people to be on the lookout"- Sgt. Jeff Jacobson
