Residents of the Chicopee neighbourhood are voicing concern after a string of daytime break-ins.
Nearly a dozen burglaries have taken place in the area of Grand River Boulevard and Morrison Road in the last six weeks, police say.
“In most of the incidents homeowners were not home at the time, however in one particular case there was a resident home. When the suspect realized that a member was home, they fled,” said Cst. Andre Johnson.
While officials could not confirm that all the break-and-enters were related, police said as of Friday that they are looking for a single suspect.
Several of the homes were forcibly entered, and witnesses reported people canvassing the areas.
“It seems like the suspect would check if the homeowners are home, and if they were they would make up an excuse as to why they were at the residence before leaving,” Cst. Johnson said.
John Kuiper is a security expert who says the best security system is a neighbourhood-wide one.
“If you don’t know your neighbours, get to know them. Say, ‘hey we’re going away for a week, would you mind shoveling the driveway, you know, taking the newspaper away, make it look like there’s somebody here,’” Kuiper recommends.
Police are asking for witnesses or surveillance video from the area in hopes of catching whoever is behind the break-ins.
