FREDERICTON — Criminals are breaking into cars and trucks around New Brunswick with increasing frequency, according to the latest RCMP statistics, which report a 51 per cent jump in thefts from vehicles (under $5,000) from 2019 to 2023.
“Theft of vehicles and from vehicles are often crimes of opportunity,” said police spokesman Cpl. Hans Ouellette in a recent press release. “Thieves are not always hatching elaborate plans to steal your property. It is more likely that they saw some valuables in plain sight, such as a wallet, purse, sunglasses or a shopping bag.”
The latest figures also show an annual increase of almost nine per cent from the 1,381 cases recorded in 2021.
Ouellette urged New Brunswickers to take precautions such as double-checking locks, hiding valuables, parking in well-lit areas and reporting “suspicious people” to police.
“If a thief sees a locked car with nothing valuable inside, they’re less likely to target it and spend the time trying to get inside,” he said.