The Sunshine Coast RCMP reported the following for the week of March 28 to April 4.
Break and enter
- Between December 2021 and March 30, 2022, a suspect gained entry to a seasonal residence in the 15200 block of Hallowell Road, Ruby Lake, by cutting off a lock on the access gate. The suspect pried open a door to an outbuilding and stole a number of items including a grey Honda long leg outboard motor and two Cabela brand trail cameras.
Theft
- Overnight on March 29, a suspect smashed a window to gain entry to a vehicle parked in the 5400 block of Trail Avenue, Sechelt, and stole a Mastercraft brand black and blue plastic tool box containing a number of small tools and hardware.
- Overnight on March 29, a suspect smashed a window to gain entry to a vehicle parked in the parking lot of the Sakinaw Lake boat launch near Sakinaw Lake Road, Pender Harbour, and stole a blanket and phone charger.
- Between March 29 and 31, a suspect or suspects gained entry to a boat moored at a gated portion of the Porpoise Bay Government Wharf, Sechelt, by prying open the wooden cabin doors. The suspect(s) ransacked the cabin and attempted to steal an electric cooler filled with miscellaneous items, but abandoned the cooler on the dock. The suspect(s) did steal a cordless drill and the boat owner is still trying to determine what else may have been stolen. Police are reviewing surveillance video and the file is still under investigation.
- On March 31, a Coast resident reported losing her debit card the night before and discovering a number of fraudulent charges made by the suspect using the tap option at businesses in the 1000 block of Highway 101, Gibsons. The resident cancelled her debit card immediately, and police are reviewing surveillance video from the businesses in an attempt to identify the suspects.
- Overnight on March 31, a suspect stole an uninsured vehicle from an address in the 4900 block of Francis Peninsula Road, Madeira Park. Police identified a possible suspect and located her inside the stolen vehicle in Gibsons. The suspect was arrested for possession of stolen property and released on an undertaking to appear in court. The file is still under investigation.
- Between March 26 and 31, suspects stole a large number of tools from a storage unit in the rear of a residence in the 1800 block of Hall Road, Sechelt. The suspects stole DeWALT drills, Mastercraft sanders, a Stihl weed-whacker, a Husqvarna chainsaw, two Featherlite ladders, a silver Shop-Vac, and a pair of orange German-made shears. Anyone with any information about this theft is asked to contact RCMP, reference police file number 2022-2202.
Impaired driving
- On March 29, a witness reported a possibly impaired driver leaving a business in the 5500 block of Sunshine Coast Highway, Sechelt. The witness was able to provide a vehicle and driver description as well as the licence plate number. Police made patrols, but then received information that the suspect driver had returned to the business. The suspect, who was exhibiting clear signs of impairment, was given a roadside alcohol screening test. After a negative test, the driver was given a standard field sobriety test and after a fail result, was issued a 24-hour driving prohibition for impairment by drugs, and the vehicle was towed. The matter has been referred to RoadSafetyBC.
- On March 29, multiple witnesses reported a possible impaired driver who’d driven into the ditch in the 5800 block of Reef Road, Sechelt, and was trying unsuccessfully to drive his way out. Police located the lone driver in the vehicle and observed signs of obvious impairment. The driver was given a roadside alcohol screening test which was negative. The driver then advised that he’d used a popular narcotic earlier in the day. The driver was issued a 24-hour driving prohibition for impairment by drugs, and the vehicle was towed. The matter has been referred to RoadSafetyBC.
- Late on April 3, police witnessed a vehicle leaving a business and driving without any lights on in the 1000 block of Highway 101, Gibsons. Police initiated a traffic stop and noted the driver exhibiting signs of possible impairment from alcohol. The driver was given multiple opportunities to provide a breath sample for a roadside alcohol screening test but refused to cooperate and so was issued a 90-day immediate roadside prohibition for refusal and his vehicle was impounded for 90 days. The matter has been referred to RoadSafetyBC.
Fraud
- On March 30, a Coast resident reported a fraud after receiving a call from someone purporting to be from his bank’s fraud department. The scammer told the resident that there was some suspicious activity on his account related to crypto-currency. The scammer convinced the resident he needed to change his password, and told him that the bank would be sending the resident an email with a code to use to reset his account. The resident, while speaking with the scammer, changed his password, then received a very authentic looking email from his bank containing a code. Believing he was speaking to a legitimate bank employee, the resident ignored the advisory at the top of the email saying no one from the bank would ever request this code, and provided the code to the scammer. A short time later, the resident noted several fraudulent e-transfers out of his account so he went directly to his bank and spoke to an employee in person about the situation only to learn that while there was no record on his file of a call from the fraud department, the email was authentic and is an automatic response to anyone making changes to their online accounts. To learn how to protect yourself from falling for this, and other common scams, please visit sites such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca, the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org, or the Competition Bureau at www.competitionbureau.gc.ca where you may obtain a copy of the very helpful Little Black Book of Scams.
Reminder
- The online crime reporting (OCR) system is available for incidents that have occurred on the Sunshine Coast where you have lost, had stolen, or sustained property or vehicle damage that costs less than $5,000 to replace or repair. The OCR system is also appropriate for driving complaints that are not in progress. For complete details, please visit ocre-sielc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/sunshinecoast/en or enter “online crime reporting Sunshine Coast” in your search engine
