THE Surrey RCMP Property Crime Target Team (PCTT) has arrested an individual who was involved in multiple break-and-enters in Surrey and Burnaby.

On November 2, Surrey RCMP responded to a report of a break-and-enter at a residence in the 10100-block of 144A Street. The complainant reported theft of cash and jewelry. The PCTT took over the investigation as there had been other similar break-and-enters in the area. The PCTT was successful in identifying an individual who was involved in multiple break-and-enters in in Surrey and Burnaby.

On November 9, the PCTT arrested a suspect.

Gia Duong, 27, has now been charged with seven counts of break-and-enter, one count of robbery, two counts of of possession of stolen property, one count of trafficking of stolen property, and one count of unauthorized use of credit card.

The jewelry stolen on November 2 was recovered and returned to the rightful owner. The PCTT is working on finding the owners of other recovered items. Duong remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on December 22.

The Property Crime Unit uses the Regional Automated Property Identification Database (RAPID) to help identify stolen property being sold and purchased at pawnshops and secondhand stores. These businesses are required to enter details of each transaction daily into RAPID. The searchable database automatically compares serial numbers against police databases to identify “hits” on stolen property.

“The RAPID program has given us a tool that becomes very useful when the owner has good descriptions, serial numbers or photos of their stolen items,” says Cpl. Sarbjit K. Sangha, Surrey RCMP Media Relations Officer.