Crime Prevention: Reporting Suspicious Activity

At the recent Block Watch Symposium in Surrey, we were reminded of the importance and impact of observing and reporting. The following information was provided last year during Crime Prevention Week and I thought it was appropriate to share it with you.

One of the questions often asked by the public is, “What does suspicious activity look like?” You may see something in your neighbourhood or community that stands out as abnormal and could be an incident where police need to be notified. Your gut feeling or intuition telling you something is not right should be acted on and could very well help stop a crime from taking place. Suspicious activity can refer to an incident, event, individual, vehicle, or circumstance that seems unusual or out of place.

Below are some examples to help you identify what types of observed activity should be reported to the police:

Someone peering into cars or windows.
Someone going door-to-door in a residential area knocking and acting out of place without an identifiable company vehicle/uniform.
A non-resident going into a back or side yard.
A person running/biking while carrying something of value.
A person loitering around schools, parks, secluded areas or community mailboxes
Slow moving vehicles and/or vehicles without lights cruising the streets repeatedly.
Continuous traffic that comes and goes to the same location, usually staying for short periods of time.
Strange odours coming from a house or building.
Open/broken windows or doors at a residence where the owners are absent.
Property being moved to/from a residence and being placed into vehicles when owners are not present.
Someone offering to sell you something for significantly less than the market value.

Certain pieces of information can be very helpful to police when you are reporting a suspicious activity. Be prepared to provide as many of the details listed below that are relevant and possible for you to safely obtain.

Incident Checklist

Date:

Time:

Location:

Suspect Vehicle

License Plate:

Vehicle Make/Model:

Colour:

Any other identifiable features (bumper sticker, vehicle damage, vehicle accessory, etc.):

Suspect Description

Sex:

Age:

Height:

Ethnicity:

Complexion:

Eye Colour:

Eye Shape:

Hair Colour/Length/Style:

Build:

Any other identifiable features (beard/moustache, tattoo, scars, jewelry, body piercing, glasses, accent, etc.):

Suspect Clothing

Hat (emblem/logo):

Shoe (style/colour):

Jacket/Shirt (style/colour):

Pants/Shorts (colour):

Other Information:

REMEMBER – A quick and accurate description of events, vehicles, and persons can make all the difference in apprehending a potential criminal. Any type of activity or circumstance that seems unusual should be reported.

Report suspicious activity to the Surrey RCMP: 604-599-0502