Local home targeted in brazen break-in and vehicle theft

Police release suspect descriptions

A Tavistock home was recently broken into. Thieves stole a key fob and made off with a vehicle within seconds. The owner said he and his wife are shaken and plan to install cameras. Contributed photo

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

An early morning crime on a quiet Tavistock street has struck some fear into the victims and neighbours.

One of the victims, who we are calling Jim in this story, agreed to talk to the Gazette on the condition of anonymity. Jim is not his real name.

“It was 1 a.m. almost on the nose. My wife and I were in bed sleeping and I heard a big bang. We were still laying there thinking it wasn’t a big deal and then I heard scuffling and realized it was in the house,” he said.

Jim flew out of the bedroom towards the door in their Westwood Avenue home where he saw his wife’s SUV leave the driveway.   

“That’s how quick it was.”   

The stained-glass door window was smashed with an object, allowing the thieves to get in the house and grab a key fob on a hook in the front hallway.

“My neighbour was actually awake next door reading and saw the guys coming to the door and went outside. She was standing on the grass and asked what they were doing but came to her senses when she realized they could have weapons.”

Both Jim’s wife and the neighbour called 911 and waited for police to arrive. He said they don’t feel safe in their own home anymore.

“You’re completely violated, even in the house we thought was our safe haven, so it makes sleeping a little difficult even though the door is boarded up and as strong as it should be. Knowing someone would do that to get a 2014 vehicle; it’s not like they were stealing anything valuable.”

Provincial police are conducting an investigation and are appealing to the public for help identifying the suspects. They are described as two white males, approximately 18 years of age. Both were wearing dark-coloured ski masks while one was wearing a black hoodie and the other a grey hoodie. There was also a white, four-door sedan observed in the area just prior to the incident.

Anyone who may have information that could assist with the investigation is asked to contact the Oxford OPP.

OPP Const. Randi Crawford said this type of crime isn’t the norm in rural areas of the county.

“We aren’t finding people breaking into homes to steal keys. These people are typically from larger, organized-crime organizations,” she said.

She added the thieves are dropped off and check for unlocked vehicles, and sometimes people leave their keys in them.

“There are also organized-crime groups with tablets that are able to read programs on vehicles. They are also able to get the signal from key fobs.”

Crawford is advising vehicle owners to purchase signal blockers to reduce the chance of a fob signal being stolen. Other tips include parking cars in garages where possible and alerting police to suspicious behaviour.

“These people tend to do some scouting out ahead of time so that’s why it’s so important to call police or send a message to Crimestoppers about suspicious people and vehicles.”

She explained people will drive up to a farmhouse to see if anyone is home, fully prepared to use a lie such as asking for directions or gas.

“When those people leave, try to get as much information as possible such as a license plate, what they looked like, things like that. Call us and let us know. Then we can mark it in our system as suspicious,” Crawford said.

Oxford residents can access a program called Safeguard Ontario where trained auxiliary police can come to a home or business to perform a safety audit.

“They can provide suggestions on how to make a home or business safer and it is free of charge to all residents of the county.”

The majority of this type of crime occurs in larges centres such as the GTA, and Jim admitted he was surprised to see it happen in a small town. He plans to step up security at his home.

“I’ll be putting cameras up and so have half the neighbours. If anything happens on the street, we’re going to know, whether is helps us or not is another story. Make sure you lock your doors and install a camera. It’s at least going to be a deterrent.”

Neighbours and the victims say there were door-to-door salespeople on the street about two weeks before the incident, something not lost on Jim who recently installed a new front door.

“It’s funny they picked us. You can’t see the keys there through the door. Either they knew they were there or took a pretty good guess.”

The stolen vehicle was eventually located in Brant County, not far from Paris. The couple say they do not know yet if it sustained any damage.

The Gazette reached out to Doug Reinhart from Nitehawk Security in Woodstock for advice on what homeowners can do to protect themselves against these types of crimes.

“People should not leave purses, wallets, valuables or keys sitting by the door. People do it all the time but you’re better off having them out of plain sight. A lot of people hang keys by the door because its convenient. Criminals see those keys from outside and it’s an open invitation.”

When it comes to salespeople showing up at the door, Reinhart said it is a good idea to check their identification and ask for a number to call to authenticate them.

“You are also under no obligation to answer the door and let them inside your home. We are vulnerable to so many things and so many people think of so many new scams every day of the week. It’s unbelievable,” he said.

He added a security system is always a good idea since they result in an almost unbearable sound when a door or window is breached.

“Motion sensors inside are also helpful and there are quite a few things you can do in terms of intrusion alarms, but once again, you have to get your stuff away from the door so you aren’t involved in a smash and grab.”

Reinhart said cameras serve a purpose but they aren’t a visible deterrent to crime.

“People doing bad things will generally cover their face by pulling down a hat or wearing a hoodie and work in the dark. To be honest with you, I’m probably the worst camera salesperson in the world and I point out the negative things about them because I have seen just about all of them.”

He explained it’s not very often a good, clean photo or video can be taken from a camera, but buying more expensive technology usually provides a better product.