Suspect sought following rash of local break-ins

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Local police are searching for a male suspect after a homeowner awoke to find a man robbing his Queen Street East and Victoria Park Avenue area home early Monday morning.

The suspect, whom they believe is behind a rash of 40 break-and-enters in the community in the last three weeks, fled the scene without shoes. Police believe the suspect removes his shoes during the break-ins to be as quiet as possible.

"Police were called and the area was searched but we were unable to locate the suspect," said Const. Rob. McDonald, 55 Division's crime prevention officer, expressing his frustration that the TPS does not have a helicopter in its fleet.

"The leaving behind of the shoes will be able to further our DNA evidence, though."

Const. Tony Vella said the suspect is described as a white male, 170 pounds, six-feet tall with dark hair and a slim build.

The top concern is that someone might get into a violent confrontation with the alleged thief.

It's for that very reason that 55 Division police invited members of the Toronto media to their Coxwell Avenue headquarters the afternoon of Nov. 28 to help spread the word about the dramatic increase in residential break-and-enters in the Beach.

"It's very important that we take some action," said Supt. Wayne Peden, noting that initially police delivered flyers to local residents and got the community newspapers involved.

City-wide media was called in after the number of nighttime break-ins in the community swelled to 40 over the last three weeks.

Insp. Peter Yuen, second-in-command at 55 Division, said that a 20-member task force, which includes uniformed, plainclothes and even representatives from the canine unit, has been assembled to address the problem.

"We are out there every night and I can tell you that some streets have been hit many times," Yuen said, adding that the suspect is so quiet that in some cases the family dog isn't even alerted to the fact that an intruder is in the house.

"This person is extremely discreet and quiet."

Yuen's message is clear: "I'm just asking the community at large to be safe in their house. A lot of times these types of crimes can be prevented."

At this point, police are still unsure if the suspect, whom they believe is at least in his late teens or early 20s, is a local resident. They also believe there is one suspect who enters the home but aren't completely ruling out an accomplice.

Police still don't have any concrete descriptive details of the suspect because all the break-ins happened at night when the homes were dark and visibility was limited.

Yuen said the peak period for the break-and-enters is from 3 to 6 a.m. He also said that in some cases the alleged thief even helps himself to food and drink from the fridge during a break-in.

Police said so far there have been six or seven occasions where a homeowner confronted a would-be thief.

They also don't know what the motive for the break-ins could be but have called the spate of break-and-enters an "isolated incident."

"Fifty-Five Division is a fairly safe division. It's a good place to live," Yuen said. "This is very unusual."

Police said the suspect typically takes change, laptops, cellphones, iPods, anything that's easy to carry or conceal.

The one sure thing, said Yuen, is that in all cases people were home during the break-ins.

"Most people when they break into houses do it so that they don't get caught," said Yuen, who noted that thieves typically strike when no one's home.

"This is extremely rare for us. These are extreme conditions."

Police said another one of their biggest concerns is that scores of home robbery victims clean up the mess and then wait until the morning to call police.

McDonald, the division's crime prevention officer, advised residents to take all precautionary measures when it comes to protecting their homes.

"You're presenting opportunities by not securing things," he said, noting that shrubs and bushes near windows should be trimmed back for maximum visibility.

He also said that ladders, even garbage bins near windows are an easy way for a thief to gain entry to a home.

Further, McDonald said homeowners should invest in good locks for their doors.

"These are very expensive homes with very cheap locks. We need to protect what we have," he said, adding that residential and commercial security checklists can be picked up at 55 Division on Coxwell Avenue, near Dundas Street East.

Another rule of thumb is to identity your property by having a number engraved into big-ticket items like televisions. He also said it's a good idea to take a digital picture of your expensive belongings.

Area residents can also request an officer come to their home for a free-of-charge security review.

"Be careful; be safe in your house," said Peden, the division's superintendent, noting that one victim had even left the key inside the door lock, while others hadn't properly secured their windows or even left their doors unlocked.

"Try not to make your house attractive to somebody who may want to break in," he said.

Peden said that one way homeowners can avoid a break-and-enter is to tightly secure their windows with a dowel or a piece of hockey stick.

He also advised people to keep a porch light on and use a motion sensor or time monitor to reduce electricity consumption.

Anyone who see anyone or anything suspicious should immediately call police at 415-808-5500 or call 911.