Police in Pierrefonds are investigating after no less than four break-ins took place in a single police precinct over the past month.
Locals have been expressing concern on social media over the apparent rash of break-ins — police say one of the victims got a rude awakening one night when a suspect slipped into her home on De La Diligence St. in the western part of Pierrefonds in the middle of the night through an unlocked patio door.
That one happened on Sept. 10 — the thief managed to make off with cash, jewelry, a Louis Vuitton handbag and a cellphone, among other things.
Const. Daniel Maheu at Station 3 in Pierrefonds says there were several break-ins over the last four weeks likely perpetrated by the same people, but he suggests the suspects haven't been using the same m.o. each time.
"All the break-ins we had were different," Const. Maheu says. "There were about two or three where people in the house, they were sleeping...or they were sleeping on a couch during the day."
Const. Maheu also suggests the criminals were not violent, but they did tend to act stealthily, catching many of their victims unaware.
He says, too, that they have a team at Station 3 investigating the break-ins.
"We had one [break-in] every week for the last four weeks," Const. Maheu says. "People were really worried, I understand that, but there are people investigating, and soon we'll be able to make some arrests."
In the meantime, Const. Maheu is advising residents to keep their doors locked, and not to leave their valuables lying around the house where thieves could have easy access.
He also says to his knowledge, the Pierrefonds cases are not linked to a recent wave of break-ins at homes in Hampstead and Montreal West.
Anyone with information on the break-ins is being asked to call Station 3 at 514-280-0103, or the confidential Info-Crime tipline at 514-393-1133.