A Blackfalds man wishes police could have stopped a thief from selling a generator online that may have been stolen from his garage.
He said he couldn’t positively identify the generator due to the quality of the online photos, but the timing was suspicious. The generator was stolen in mid-November, and afterwards a post featuring a similar generator quickly went up online.
“It was driving me crazy,” said the Blackfalds resident about the online post.
He said originally police told him they could look into the post, but later found out an investigation was not possible without knowing if it was the family’s generator.
“It’s really frustrating when they brush it off like that,” said the resident who did not want to be identified.
He said police probably have more important things to do, but the generator was new. It was stolen while the garage door was accidentally left open, but the theft was captured on a neighbour’s security video.
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Blackfalds RCMP Staff Sgt. Dan Martin said a provincial police unit that tracked down stolen items listed for sale online was no longer in operation. Few people report their stolen property being sold online, and unfortunately there wasn’t evidence that it was definitely this family’s generator.
He said forgetting to lock or shut a door is an easy mistake to make, but criminals will take advantage of any opportunity.
“It’s sad and it’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality,” Martin said.
As the weather gets colder, he reminded drivers to never leave an unlocked vehicle idling, and to use a proper remote vehicle starter which will shut the vehicle down if someone tries to steal it.
“Lots of people will start their vehicle and leave their keys in it. (Thieves will) bust a window to get in it if they see the keys in the ignition. They don’t care if they’re driving with a busted window.”
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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