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Thieves target Upper Mission, use remotes to get into garages

Thieves hit Upper Mission

Rob Gibson

UPDATE 3:55 p.m.

A resident in Kelowna's Kettle Valley has shared surveillance video with Castanet that shows a man wearing a mask and a hoody in the driveway.

At the beginning of the video, the prowler stops and looks directly into the security camera before moving over to try the door of the SUV. Upon finding that the door won't open he shines a light into the vehicle and looks inside before moving on down the street out of the security cameras range.

The video was taken Thursday Dec. 7 at 2:27 a.m.


ORIGINAL 4:00 a.m.

If you park on your driveway and not in your garage, it’s not a good idea to leave your remote control for the garage door in your vehicle.

Kelowna RCMP have received several reports of vehicles being broken into and items stolen including garage door openers from the Upper Mission and Kettle Valley area over the last two evenings.

In one incident, the thieves got into a garage and made off with several bicycles and tools. RCMP officers have been canvassing the area looking for video evidence and other clues to help track down the suspects.

“We ask anyone who has doorbell or other types of cameras to check them and report any suspicious activity to the police. The house from which the bikes and tools were stolen from, lost a lot of property and would almost certainly have required the use of a larger vehicle,” said Cpl. Michael Gauthier.

“Often, the suspect vehicle will be parked down the street or in a different location from the theft and the suspect(s) will hit multiple homes on foot.”

He advises homeowners to install security cameras so that they capture entryways, vehicles and your driveway. Motion activated lights are also an effective way to deter thieves.

“Remove any objects of value from your vehicles, especially garage door remotes,” adds Cpl. Gauthier.

RCMP continue to investigate the thefts and officers are still collecting evidence.



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