Mischief and thefts from cars plague residents

Akinsdale resident Kayleigh Lynds says her neighbourhood comes with a bad vibe.

Lynds and her family moved to St. Albert a year ago. Within a couple of weeks, her car was broken into and her phone, which she had forgotten inside, was taken. It had all of her son’s newborn pictures on it.

But that was only the first incident, she says.

Someone slashed the tires on her car a few weeks later, along with those of several other people on her street. Then her neighbour’s home was robbed.

Lynds says the RCMP came to her door afterwards and told the family to get a security system. But she wants to move. Cars across the neighbourhood keep getting damaged and robbed, and she doesn’t feel safe, she says.

“We tried to move this year but being so close to my due date, it was impossible,” she says. “I wake up at least once a night to check on my vehicle or a sound I’ve heard. I’m completely unnerved and don’t feel safe at all.”

Theft from vehicles and mischief are a problem in St. Albert, especially in the summer. The RCMP received a rash of complaints between May 14 and 19. Complaints included theft from vehicles, smashed windows and slashed tires.

The neighbourhoods affected are scattered across the city, with the most recent police reports coming from Akinsdale, Erin Ridge, Mission, Braeside, Forest Lawn, Woodlands and Oakmont. The most common items stolen were money, credit cards, driver’s licences, garage door openers, purses, cellphones and electronics.

But it’s not only St. Albert residents that suffer. On May 10, a woman from Sherwood Park stopped to use the washroom at Red Willow Park around 5:15 p.m. When she returned to her car, she found the front passenger window smashed, and her purse and cellphone stolen.

The woman said a large, silver SUV was parked beside her when she arrived. She saw it pull away later but did not see who was driving it or what the model of the car was.

The RCMP advises residents to not leave any valuables or identification in their cars, and park in open, visible areas.

“If you see any suspicious persons or activities near a vehicle, call the police immediately,” said Const. M.J. Burroughs. “Let the police determine if it’s a crime in progress.”

Several other residents in the city took to social media recently to report slashed tires, broken windows and even having their kids’ car seats cut out. Contents of no value are taken from the cars and later found scattered and broken somewhere else. One car that was stolen was rediscovered two blocks down the road.

Lynds thinks most of the vandalism is random, not targeted. Parking on the street seems to make matters worse but cars aren’t safe in driveways either. She is not the only one who considers moving, she says.

On Friday morning, several vehicles in Akinsdale were broken into again. One person is now missing her credit cards.

“I’ve never seen such rampant destruction all the time,” she says.

Anyone with information about these crimes can call the St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700, or if you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).