Edmonton gardeners are being warned they could be sowing the seeds of opportunity for “brazen” thieves.
Police are investigating a series of thefts from homes and garages across the city that have occurred while people were outside gardening or doing yard work.
Since April, police have had at least eight reports of suspects entering homes through unlocked doors while residents were outside in their yards.
Thieves are also stealing from garages with open overhead doors or walk-through doors left unlocked overnight.
“It may be an inconvenience to lock your doors when you are just steps away from your house,” Edmonton Police Service Det. Daniel van den Berg said in a news release Thursday.
‘These thieves are opportunists’
“But unfortunately, these thieves are opportunists, and they are brazen. They know what to look for, and how to get in and out quickly.”
In the city’s northeast, a senior was outside in her backyard garden when a suspect walked in her back door and stole her bus pass and $300.
Other victims have reported losing cash, keys, wallets, purses, wedding rings, vehicle registration and credit cards.
Police said they don’t know if they’re dealing with a single suspect or several people.