Thefts from business parks

A 1,000-pound piece of equipment that vanished from a storage yard on Riel Drive was perhaps among the more surprising thefts this summer. Police suspect the thieves took it with the help of some special gear.

But there were several other break-and-enters in the city’s business parks now under investigation. The RCMP is looking for information from the public to help solve the crimes. Police also remind business owners to take extra precautions against theft, if they have not done so already.

“Business owners are not responsible for a crime being committed,” said Const. Yelena Avoine. “However, there are steps that people can take to reduce the risk and exposure to theft and damage and that may assist RCMP in their investigation.”

The 1,000-lbs. of equipment that was taken from the Riel Business Park storage yard was a concrete breaker attachment for a skid steer. It had the word “edge” on it, and was taken between Aug. 21 and Sept. 1.

The other crimes all took place in Campbell Business Park. In the first theft, several computers, tools and a TV were taken from X-Calibur Pipeline & Utility. This happened overnight between July 21 and July 22. The business is located at 290 Carleton Dr.

The second break-and-enter happened between Aug. 28 and Aug. 31. Someone broke into Complete Power Solutions at 190 Carleton Dr. Computers, monitors and a TV were stolen.

The office of this company was damaged extensively during the break-in Surveillance cameras were pulled from the ceiling and drawers were ripped open. The suspect, who was caught on video, is described as a Caucasian male in his mid-30s with short-brown hair and a stocky build.

Another theft took place at the Otara Dental Clinic at 15 Carleton Dr. between Sept. 5 and Sept. 7. The business was still under construction at the time, and someone stole 10 HP 800 G1 computers, four Lenovo ThinkCentre desktops, seven monitors and a server.

The RCMP advises business owners to record serial numbers of items, as this can later help police recover stolen property.

“This can easily be done by taking a photograph of the serial number and the property for reference, and storing the photos in an email, a thumb drive or another device kept in a safe location,” said Avoine.

If serial numbers are not available, people can also engrave a unique identifier or number on an item, “such as your driver’s licence number, or business name,” she said.

Businesses should also be well lit at night. This will make it less appealing to a criminal, she said. Security monitoring can also be a deterrent, and help identify criminals later on.

Anyone who discovers a break-and-enter should not touch, move or clean anything but “back out and call the police.”

“Be mindful not to step on footprints or tire track impressions,” she said.

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