Montreal police say they've arrested a man who they believe may be responsible for a string of recent break-ins at homes in Pointe Claire.
Police at Station 5 in Pointe Claire say they made an arrest Wednesday morning, and reported the arrest at a public meeting later that evening.
There had been a spike in the number of break-ins, particularly in September, October and November of this year in the Cedar Park neighborhood of Pointe Claire, just above highway 20. In all, there've been 17 such break-ins in the neighborhood since the beginning of 2016 — compared with just five in all of 2015.
There haven't been any, however, since November 12th.
Police say robbers would often force their way into the homes through the back windows or doors. They would usually take things like jewelry, money and small electronic items, but sometimes, they would take larger items, like televisions. In each case, they would strike when their victims weren't home.
Police are still investigating, trying to find out if this suspect had any accomplices.
In the meantime, police are using the occasion to remind people to take precautions if they leave the house for any length of time, such as locking doors and windows, and not advertising on social media that they'll be on vacation and not at home.