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By Shane Clausing

RCMP

RCMP encouraging residents to write down serial numbers to help avoid theft

Mar 5, 2022 | 6:00 AM

The Grande Prairie RCMP is asking residents to write down the serial numbers on their vehicles in order to help combat crime suspects.

The call to action comes after an incident that occurred on February 13 in Grande Prairie, where a male was spotted and in possession of, a stolen bicycle.

When police got a hold of the bike, they researched the serial number in its database to determine who it belonged to. The bike was reported stolen four months ago and was luckily was returned to its owner.

Cst. Lindsay Ralph with the Grande Prairie RCMP says by writing the serial number down of your bike or other valuable items can help police locate stolen items.

“In this particular case, it shows how important it is to document the serial numbers that are valuable to us. If they’re unfortunately stolen, that information can be put into a database,” Ralph explained.

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“If it is located, police officers are able to search the serial number and determine if it was stolen. If it was, then we can then deal with the theft and possession of stolen property and return that property that person lost in the first place.”

Cst. Ralph says notable markings on a bike or item that stands out can also help them locate stolen property. She adds without the markings or serial number it could be tough to determine whether the property is stolen or not.

“It does make it a bit more difficult if we don’t have a serial number. Some items don’t come with a serial number; so if there’s anything on there that makes it particularly unique or if a person has a picture of their item, we would be able to make a comparison,” she explained.

“The best way to do it is to have that serial number because they are unique to each piece of property.”

Cst. Ralph adds it is tough to say how many people do write down their serial numbers, but adds doing so, is the best way to have your property recovered.

“It’s certainly a wonderful way to protect your property if it’s unfortunately taken or stolen,” she stated.

“It would be important for the public to know that (serial number) is there and to record that information if something is stolen so we can record that into our database.”

The Grande Prairie RCMP says they responded to 11 calls regarding stolen property this past February, down from 24 in February 2021.