Two suspected burglars arrested by Richmond Mounties. In a reaction to a recent spike in residential break-ins, Richmond RCMP has been deploying multiple undercover officers at various locations of the city, in addition to increasing patrol activity by uniformed Mounties. On Feb. 1, officers from the RCMP’s property crime unit (PCU) recognized a blue Audi Q5 SUV — which was previously reported stolen from a house in January — parked in the 8000 block of No. 3 Road. The Audi was tracked to the 7500 block of Abercrombie Road, where undercover officers discovered a second stolen vehicle nearby, a 2015 Lexus LX570 SUV, also stolen during a burglary in January. At around 5 a.m. the same day, a 24-year old male was arrested when he exited the Lexus. Later, at around 2 p.m., the Audi was tracked to the 11300 block of Hammersmith Way, where officers arrested a 21-year old male and recovered several items of stolen property from the vehicle. The suspects, a 21-year old male from Richmond, and a 24-year old male from Langley, are known to police and are alleged to be responsible for numerous burglaries. Charges are pending and the investigation is on-going. “We are seeing a trend where a residence has been burglarized and a vehicle stolen with the keys,” said Cpl. Simon Lee, of Richmond RCMP’s PCU. Richmond RCMP is reminding people to store vehicle keys where they will not be readily accessible. Further, the police are seeing a trend where homes are being identified by criminals as being largely absent. For those owners, police recommend making your home appear occupied as much as possible and to have someone regularly check on the home in your absence.
