There are 137,000 stories in the Royal City, and this is some of them. Looking at a week’s worth of media releases from the Guelph Police Service, there’s a lot gong on in our little city crime-wise speaking, so let’s run down some of the charges, issues, and requests for information from the Guelph Police Service over the last seven days.

***Please note that not all offenses and police calls are reported in the daily Guelph Police media release.

Guelph Police Want to Map All Security Cameras in Town

The Guelph Police Service has initiated a new program called Security Cameras Assisting Neighbours in Guelph, or SCANinGuelph. The program asks residents to register their home security cameras, as well as cameras at businesses, with the police so that they know who they can ask for footage if there’s a crime in the area. Signing up is as simple as filling out a form on the Guelph Police website, but they stress police will get in touch with the cameras’ owners first before collecting footage.

“Our citizens have identified break and enters, vehicle thefts and property crimes as a serious concern for our community.  The SCANinGuelph program promotes community partnerships while enhancing the safety, security and quality of life for all those who live, work and play in our community,” said Inspector David Doxey, Officer in Charge of Neighbourhood Services, in a statement. “It also allows residents and property owners to directly play a role in supporting their neighbours by utilizing existing technology with their permission.”

Remember: Your Car Can Be Stolen Too

Do you own a Honda CR-V, Lexus RX series, Ford F-150 or Toyota Highlander? You might be interested to know that they are at the top of the list of the most stolen vehicles in Canada, and a vehicle is stolen in Canada every six minutes. According to Guelph Police, almost 200 different vehicles were stolen in Guelph in 2021, and that’s an average of one car every 1.8 days. So if you don’t want to be a statistic, follow these tips from the Insurance Bureau  of Canada:

• Don’t leave a keyless entry fob in a vehicle or unprotected at the front entrance of your home. Thieves can use wireless transmitters to intercept the signal, giving them access to the vehicle. Consider storing fobs in a protective box or bag that blocks the signal.
• Install an immobilizing device which prevents thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot-wiring a vehicle. This can include devices that require wireless ignition authentication or starter, ignition and fuel pump disablers.
• Install a tracking device that emits a signal to police or a monitoring station if a vehicle is stolen.
• Don’t make your vehicle an easy target
• Never leave a vehicle running when unattended.
• Lock the doors and close all windows when parked.
• Make sure to park in well-lit areas or in the garage.
• Use a visible or audible device that shows thieves a vehicle is protected.
• Consider using a deterrent like a steering wheel or brake pedal lock.
• Don’t leave personal information, like insurance and ownership documents, in the glove box when parked.

Guelph Man Faces Dozen Charges for Series of Break-Ins

A 35-year-old Guelph man was arrested by police for a dozen charges including three counts of break and enter, theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of breaching probation and several weapons offences. Members of the Police’s Break Enter Auto Theft (BEAT) Unit executed a search warrant on Wednesday afternoon for four difference residences in the core after a series of break and enters, including a break-in at the Sleeman Centre and the theft of an SUV over the last month.

Drug Trafficking Suspect Arrested

An investigation that started last fall resulted in some arrests made this past week. A 29-year-old Guelph man was charged with two counts of trafficking a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and five counts of possessing prohibited weapons. Additionally, a 41-year-old Cambridge man was charged with possessing a controlled substance.

The Drug Enforcement Unit searched a vehicle and a residence after the arrests and found more than 220 grams of cocaine with a street value of $22,000, plus $2,000 cash, three sets of brass knuckles, a functioning conducted energy weapon, a butterfly-style knife and a realistic-looking pellet gun. Police took a shot of all the seized property and you can see it below. The Guelph man was released on bail and will next appear in court on February 25.

Assault

Last Saturday just after midnight, Guelph police arrested a woman at a business in the area of Woodlawn and Imperial after she had been previously asked to leave. During the course of her arrest, a 30-year-old Guelph woman was charged with causing a disturbance, and then assaulting a police officer when she hit the arresting officer with a full coffee cup.

A 30-year-old Guelph man was charged with possessing a weapon contrary to a prohibition order and knowledge of unauthorized possession of a weapon after he sent a number emails to a staff member at a local law firm with pictures of him posing with a gun. A search warrant resulted in an Uzi-style BB gun, Glock-style BB gun, three rounds of .22-calibre ammunition and a spring-loaded knife even though the man was prohibited for possessing weapons.

Break-Ins

A 29-year-old Guelph woman was charged with two counts of break and enter, theft under $5,000, breach of probation and obstruct police. The woman was wanted in connection to two break-ins at downtown businesses last week.

Police are looking for information about someone that broke into Sleeman Centre last Thursday and spent the night in a utility room after forcing his way into several concessions stands. Staff found him on Friday morning, but he left before he could be detained. If you have any information, call Constable Geoffrey Hiebert at 519-824-1212, ext. 7290, or email him at ghiebert [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 37-year-old Guelph man was charged with possessing stolen property, possessing break-in instruments, trespassing by night and failing to comply with an undertaking after someone witnessed a man breaking into their neighbour’s car early Tuesday morning. The man tried to hide from police, but they found him, and they found bank cards and documents in his pockets belonging to other people as well as a flashlight and bolt cutters.

Theft

A 32-year-old Guelph woman turned herself in to police on Wednesday and was arrested for fraud over $5,000. The woman is believed to have defrauded a local social services agency of more than $31,000.

A 36-year-old North York man was charged with fraud under $5,000 and uttering a forged document for sending a fake prescription to a Guelph pharmacy while posing as an Ottawa gynecologist.

Two trailers full of alcohol worth $80,000 were stolen from a yard on Clair Road West overnight last Friday. If you have any information call Constable Brandon Buck at 519-824-1212, ext. 7416, email bbuck [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A 30-year-old Brantford man was charged with theft under $5,000, possession of stolen property, taking a motor vehicle without consent, driving while prohibited, breach of probation and three counts of breaching a release order. He had borrowed an acquaintance’s car and returned it with a full tank of gas and the wrong licence plates, which tied him to a “gas and go” theft in Guelph’s south end.

A grey 2016 Volkswagen Jetta was stolen from in front of a home in the area of Woodlawn and Victoria Road. If you have any information about the theft, call Constable David Lee at 519-824-1212, ext. 7108, or email him at dlee [at] guelphpolice.ca.

A man was hit his own car while it was being stolen Thursday morning. The suspect is an Asian male with a darker complexion, and he was dressed all in black and wearing a blue mask with white markings on it. He was driven to the scene of the robbery in the area of Edinburgh Road and Dean Avenue in a grey Kia.

This was one of three car robberies in the course of an hour on Thursday. Along with the black Nissan Kicks stolen at Edinburgh and Dean, there were also reports of a Toyota SUV stolen from a driveway in the area of Grange and Kearney, and a Subaru taken from a driveway in the area of York and Menzie. Both of those vehicles were recovered, and police don’t know if the thefts are related. If you know anything about the stolen Kick, call Constable Aaron Miller at 519-824-1212, ext. 7383, email him at amiller [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Last weekend, there were two other cases of stolen cars left to warm up, one early on Saturday morning in the area of Silvercreek Parkway and Ajax Street where a Honda was stolen, and then a blue 2018 Toyota Corolla in the area of Arkell Road and Summerfield Drive on Sunday morning. The Honda was recovered, but the Toyota was not. If you can any information call Special Constable Tim Jotham at 519-824-1212, ext. 7184, or email him at tjotham [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Traffic

A 19-year-old woman from Mono Township was charged with impaired driving, and her driver’s licence was suspended after she was caught driving erratically around the University of Guelph campus. When she was stopped by police, and was asked for her driver’s license, and she gave them an LCBO gift card instead.

A 62-year-old Guelph man was charged with speeding and stunt driving after police clocked him doing 154 kilometres per hour in a posted 70 zone just after midnight in the area of Willow Road at the Hanlon.

There were 11 collisions reported from the winter storm on Wednesday starting at noon hour when a car hit a poll on Woodlawn. At least one driver sustained a minor head injury and went to the hospital for treatment after a different collision with a poll on Clair Road.

Other Notes

A 32-year-old Guelph male is charged with committing an indecent act from a January incident in the area of Westwood Road and Silvercreek when the driver of a a black SUV for the attention of a woman walking in the area while his hands were down his pants.

A 23-year-old Guelph woman wass charged with possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possessing a prohibited weapon, knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm with an altered serial number. She’s the fifth arrest in connection with a January 19 warrant executed on a downtown apartment.

Last week, the BEAT team found a 16-foot aluminum fishing boat with a 20-horsepower Yamaha outboard motor while investigating a different stolen vehicle. The problem is that the police don’t know who it belongs to, it was spray-painted camouflage over the original (likely) blue, and the identification and serial numbers have been removed. If this looks like your boat, call Constable Joshua van Breda at 519-824-1212, ext. 7417, or email him at jvanbreda [at] guelphpolice.ca.

Total calls for service last week: 1,522

If you have any information about the crimes or incidents mentioned above, you can also call Guelph Wellington Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or post online at csgw.tips.