Edmonton police said a spike in automobile thefts in the northeast part of the city have been connected to two youths – a pair now in custody and facing a number of charges between them.
According to details released by police, the two youths – who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act – are each facing a number of charges including four counts of auto theft, shoplifting and a number of breach of recognizance charges.
The two were also arrested at least eight times each in February and March before they were denied bail.
Edmonton police said dealing with such cases puts a significant strain on police resources.
“Our members are not just arresting them, but they’re going to talk to their families, to social services, to see if we can help them out, because we don’t want them to continue on,” Supt. Terry Rocchio said. “If they keep continuing we’re still going to have to deal with them and they will be involved in more criminal activity.”
Police said the EPS Northeast Division had 125.8 percent more reported auto theft complaints in February 2015, compared to the same month the previous year – and in March, the same complaints have increased by about 40 percent over the previous year.
