A man and woman were arrested in Oliver on Tuesday morning, Nov. 1, after being found by RCMP at the sixth break-and- enter at town businesses since Oct. 17.
Police say half-a-dozen downtown locations have been broken into in the last two weeks. Oliver RCMP managed to arrest a 20-year-old woman and 43-year-old-man on Tuesday in the 5700 block of Main Street for the most recent crime.
Both were arrested for break and enter and held in cells at Oliver detachment. They were released later the same day on an undertaking to appear in court on Jan. 4, 2023.
“This recent upswing in break-and-enters to Oliver businesses is very concerning to the Oliver RCMP,” said Sgt. Don Wrigglesworth. “With perseverance and targeted enforcement, the Oliver RCMP has been successful in identifying and charging some individuals involved and will continue to investigate these crimes.”
The latest series of crimes begins Oct. 17 when the front door of a business in the 200-block of Fairview Road was smashed. Police say a man could be observed on video completely covered up and left the scene two minutes before police arrived. The investigation remains open, police said.
Three mornings later, RCMP received reports of a break-in at a business in the 5900-block of Main Street, with the front glass broken and cash stolen from inside. The building alarm wasn’t working at the time of the incident, police said.
On Oct. 24, at 5:20 a.m., video surveillance footage shows a man entering a store in the 6000-block of Main Street after the front door had been smashed. Forensic examiners seized evidence from the scene and the incident remains under investigation.
Later that day, police received reports of another break-and-enter into a business in the 6200 block on the same street. The owner of the business was out of the country and the keys to a vehicle parked outside were stolen.
“This vehicle was suspected to be involved in another break-and-enter and was recovered prior to this break-in occurring,” RCMP said about the incident.
On Oct. 27, the business in the 5600-block of Main Street had cash and food products stolen after the front door glass had been broken. The male suspect was recognized by police later that day on Fairview Road and has been involved in a number of recent property crimes in Oliver.
Though the man has been arrested and evidence from the scene was located on him, police say the matter remains under investigation.
The aforementioned Nov. 1 incident, meanwhile, resulted in the arrest of the male and female suspects after they allegedly broke into the fenced-in area at the back of a business in the 5700-block of Main Street. Police seized items they were attempting to steal were recovered from them.
Police say they have been released from the Oliver detachment on an undertaking to appear in court on Jan. 4, 2023.
“In many instances, the damage caused is more significant than the small amount of items stolen,” Wrigglesworth said. “Video surveillance, enhanced security including alarms and the help of the public with observation is very important with helping to prevent and to solve these crimes.”
On Oct. 12, Oliver RCMP said they were looking for a man responsible for six break-ins and thefts over the 48-hour span. It is unclear whether the recent crime sprees from Oct. 17 to Nov. 1 are related.
READ MORE: Same criminal allegedly responsible for 6 break-ins in 48 hours at Oliver businesses