Block Watch Central Saanich holds its first community crime prevention night on Thursday, June 7.
To Catch a Thief will feature presentations from two veteran police officers, each bringing his perspective on reducing residential break and enters.
“In our Block Watch community, when I speak to each neighbourhood I talk about ways to prevent people breaking into your house. It’s all crime prevention based,” said Cpl. Janis Jean of Central Saanich Police Service. “The next step of understanding is trying to understand why.”
The first speaker, Const. Brent Robertson of Central Saanich, will provide an overview of what burglars are looking for when “casing a home” and explain ways to reduce chances of becoming a victim.
“Some of the basics about what thieves are looking for, but a bit about what motivates these offenders,” Jean said. “What are some of the reasons people are doing this kind of an offence? People always ask, where does it go? These are a lot of questions people ask.”
The second speaker is Staff Sgt. Gary Schenk of the Regional Crime Unit. The 25-year member of Saanich police will provide insight into what kind of strategies the specialized unit utilizes to capture the region’s most prolific offenders.
“The other half we don’t normally have a chance to speak about is, how do we catch these guys?” Jean said. “We’re just trying to go that step further and increase understanding in our community and work with our community to reduce break and enters.”
There will also be an opportunity for questions and Block Watch information will be available.
To Catch a Thief will be held at Bayside middle school, 1101 Newton Pl., at 7 p.m. on June 7.
Seating is limited. Call 250-652-4441 by June 5 to reserve a space.