DRUGS FUEL RASH OF BREAK-INS: RCMP

A group of young people in Smithers are using stolen property to fund their
drug habits, say local police.

Smithers RCMP Cpl. Sheila White said thieves are breaking into residences
looking for cash and easy items to sell, like small electronics, in order
to buy quantities of the street drug methamphetamine, commonly known as
crystal meth.

In some situations, police believe the theives are actually trading stolen
property for drugs.

"[They will steal] anything that will pass a quick buck," White said. "They
need money for drugs."

White explained crystal meth has increased in both availability and demand
in the Smithers area over the past six weeks, and police believe there is a
definite link between the drug and the rash of recent break-ins.

Since the beginning of June, Smithers RCMP have responded to 20 residential
break-ins, as well as a number of attempted break-ins. The majority of
break-ins are occuring in two general areas of town: the neighbourhood
around 14th, 15th and 16th Avenues east of Highway 16 and the neighbourhood
along 3rd and 4th Avenue, west of the highway, White said.

Police believe a group of youth and young adults -- roughly between the
ages of 16 and 23 -- are responsible for the break-ins.

That conclusion is based on basic police legwork, as well as evidence
uncovered by Terrace's forensic identification unit. White confirmed one
arrest has already been made in connection to the break-ins, and said
police expect to make more in the near future. White also confirmed what
some people have reported: that the thieves travel by bike and, if
necessary, leave the bikes behind and flee on foot. It's no bother, though,
because the bicycles are also stolen -- sometimes earlier the same day.

The break-ins have been occuring at all hours of the day, but what
surprises police are the ones during daylight hours.

"It's a departure from the norm," White said, adding, in some cases,
residents have been home at the time and thieves have been scared off. In
other situations, residents have woken up to learn they had been robbed
overnight.

So far no one has been injured in the break-ins, but local residents are
getting more frustrated.

Smithers resident Beth Green was woken from her sleep in the early hours of
June 10 by the sound of someone fiddling with her back door.

At first Green wasn't sure what she was hearing until she heard the
perpetrators fiddling with her kitchen window -- which was open, but sits
about five feet from the ground.

"I thought, 'Oh my gosh, they're coming through my window,'" Green said in
a recent interview.

And that's exactly what they did.

Thieves entered Green's house through the kitchen window, went into her
living room and took her wallet from where it was sitting on a table.

Although Green did not see or communicate with the thieves in any way
during the five to 10 minutes they were in her house, she said they must
have taken her wallet to the kitchen and rustled through it, removing
change, a small amount of cash, and a handful of identification and other
papers. However, they did leave a number of credit cards.

By that time, Green was on the phone to the RCMP, and she figures the
thieves heard her and took off.

"They must have been spooked," she said. " They probably decided to cut
their losses and leave."

When the RCMP arrived minutes later, Green said her front door was open and
her wallet was sitting on the kitchen counter by the window. The screen had
been pulled out and was lying on the lawn in her backyard.

Green, who is confined to a wheelchair and cannot get out of bed on her
own, said this is the first time something like this has happened to her in
the three years she has lived alone in the house.

She has never worried before about leaving her windows open, but admitted
that a homemaker recently warned her about break-ins in the area.

"I thought, 'They're not going to come in my windows'" she said. "I'm mad
at myself that I didn't think it could happen to me.

"I guess I was lucky," Green said, adding she no longer leaves windows open
and would phone police immediately if she thought she heard something
strange again in the future.

"I'm going to take a lot more precautions so it won't happen again. I'm
keeping my windows locked."

Home owners should double-check their policies to see whether or not their
insurance covers a break-in at their home due to an open window. While most
policies would cover a break-in even with an open window, it is a grey area
that depends on the policy and the adjustor, according to a local insurance
dealer.

Police are asking residents to be vigilant and immediately report any
suspicious behaviour to the RCMP or CrimeStoppers. White said the key thing
people can do is to protect themselves and take an active interest in their
neighbourhoods. Thieves have often been hitting neighbourhoods they don't
live in, which should make it easier for people to spot strangers, she said.

Crystal Meth

Crystal meth is a synthetic drug full of potent chemicals melted down into
a crystallized, pebble-like form. It is commonly snorted, injected with a
needle or smoked in a hash pipe.

According to police, the drug is highly-addictive, more so after one use
than cocaine. A hit of crystal meth costs about $20, while a hit of cocaine
costs about $50.

Police also consider crystal meth a gateway drug to harder drugs like
cocaine or heroine.