Construction site thefts becoming a major problem
Posted Mar 11, 2010 02:55:15 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With the warm weather, more construction sites are popping up and an official with the Nova Scotia Homebuilders’ Association says thefts from construction sites are becoming an epidemic.
“It’s getting so that we’ve found lists on the site, where these professional criminal actually have a list of materials,” says Paul Pettipas, the association’s CEO. “And they’re seeking out job sites to fill their orders.”
The thieves steal everything from windows, doors, tubs, cabinets, to tools and lumber. Pettipas says in the end, it’s the home purchaser who ends up paying.
Cpl. Joe Taplin with RCMP says they’ll be stepping up patrols.
“With the new season coming up on us with home construction, we’re going to be patrolling those areas quite frequently,” says Taplin. “Last year we had a substantial amount of theft.”
Pettipas says arresting these groups is important, but he also wants the courts to get tougher as well. He says this is not a victimless crime.
