Flurry of smash & grabs

Photo: contributed

Police are warning the public not to leave valuables in their cars after a rash of smash and grab thefts from vehicles in Kelowna.

One resident tells Castanet he has seen at least a dozen smashed windows, including his own, in the past three weeks. He added things are particularly bad on St. Paul and Ellis streets.

“As of late Kelowna has acquired a serious issue with thieves smashing car windows and stealing vehicle contents,” he said.

Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said police throughout the Central Okanagan are monitoring known priority property crime offenders and are coordinating their efforts in hopes of identifying a suspect or suspects believed to be connected to the recent theft from vehicles.

“Police are stressing to vehicle owners to always remove valuable property from inside their vehicle, or at the very least take steps to ensure it is fully out of sight,” said O’Donaghey.

The resident thinks more should be done about the issue.

“I also think it should be run as a call to action to our mayor,” he said. "Homelessness and crime were a hot topic in our recent election and it does not seem to be of any concern to our current mayor.”

Multiple storefronts on Bernard Avenue had their windows broken on Oct. 30. Two photographs were taken by A resident where vehicle's windows were broken and he says they were just 100 metres apart on Ellis Street and Clement Avenue.

Police are asking the public to report all suspicious activities, persons and vehicles in their area to RCMP.