The number of car related break-ins have seen a dramatic spike in 2022, leaving residents in Cambridge concerned for their safety.
According to police, this year alone has seen 314 car related break-ins in Cambridge, up drastically from a total of 544 in the last five years, year-to-date.
Having experienced one of these robberies only a few weeks ago, Jennifer Gatschene has been feeling off since her car was rummaged through.
“It feels completely violating,” said the Hespeler resident. “In all honesty, it’s creepy and a little intimidating.”
Gatschene made the unfortunate mistake of leaving her car unlocked one night and in the morning returned to find one of her passenger doors slightly open. That is when she knew her car had been ransacked.
“My son was the first to notice, but my watch was stolen,” she said. “They also took my prescription sunglasses and other smaller stuff.”
The watch was a sentimental piece, an Esquire watch that she got from her mother who is now suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s.
“It’s something I’ve had for a really long time. I just like to keep it close,” she said.
This is not the first time she had her car broken into. In 2013, she had something similar happen to her, but this time has made her a little more cautious when being outside by herself.
“I was walking my dog a few nights ago and I didn’t realize how dark it was,” said Gatschene. “I felt so nervous and with all the recent robberies, I’ve just felt unsafe.”
Police say they are aware of the up-tick in crime in various parts of the city and are monitoring the situation.
“WRPS actively monitors and tracks crime trends throughout the region to identify areas and persons of interest with respect to criminal activity, including thefts from motor vehicles,” said Bradley Hickey, communications officer for WRPS.
The service's crime occurrence mapping tool provides insight into where these incidents are happening to give police and the public a way to identify trends. Between Sept. 19 and Sept. 29, for instance, there were 11 thefts under $5,000 reported in the South 4 zone which encompasses much of downtown Galt.
Gatschene is clearly not the only one who had their car broken into recently. Terri Robertson Starr commented on Gatschene’s Facebook post about the robbery and shared a similar story.
“The one time we forgot to lock the doors,” wrote Starr. “A few things were taken, including my ownership to the van, brand new shoes and my prescription glasses. I did call police to file a report.”
Starr even claims while her car was being robbed, they put out a cigarette on the dash of her car.
Gatschene thinks a sense of community is missing from Cambridge. She reminisces about the days when she knew all her neighbours knew and they looked out for each other.
“I don’t want vigilantes or anything like that, but it just seems like no one looks out for one another anymore,” added Gatschene.
Despite having her car and personal belongings rummaged through and stolen, Gatschene understands that while the situation is not great, there are often underlying issues with the individuals who commit these crimes.
“I’d like to hear what the local government is doing to further help the homeless, mental health and addiction” she added. “I also want to know what the local government will do to address rising crime rates?”
The only thing Gatschene can do now, is make sure her doors are locked and take her own precautions.
“I bought a motion light that turns on in our driveway, so hopefully that will scare them away,” she said.
Police recommend people do not leave valuables in plain sight and take removable items from their vehicle when they are not in it.
They also tell anyone who has been a victim of these types of crimes to file a police report immediately.
“This will assist us in tracking patterns of criminal behavior and potentially identify suspects,” Hickey said.
Thefts from motor vehicles can be reported online. For any incident that is in progress, call 911 immediately.
