Vancouver residential buildings are being targeted by ’sticky' thieves with glue

Vancouver residents are being urged by police to keep an eye out for a unique method that thieves are using to break into apartment buildings.

In a public warning issued on Tuesday, March 3, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) revealed that it is currently investigating a string of break-and-enters at several apartment buildings across the city where the suspects are using glue to gain access.

Ten apartment units across five residential apartment buildings in Vancouver and one building in Burnaby were targeted by thieves and broken into from August to December of last year, according to the VPD.

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“These suspects would gain entry into the building during the middle of the night and apply hot glue in the top corner of apartment unit doors, stretching it between the door and the frame,” said VPD Property Crime Sergeant Stan Dy in a release.

“When building residents return home and open the door, the strand of glue is broken. If the residents are away, the strand of glue stays intact, indicating that no one was home. The suspects then returned within a few days and broke into suites that had intact glue.”

The VPD added that it believed that suspects targeted older apartment buildings with limited security, including insecure stairwell doors or buildings without any security cameras.

“Similar cases involving suspects utilizing glue on unit doors through apartment buildings have been reported in Ontario and Edmonton,” added police.

VPD

Investigators with the VPD are asking anyone with information about the series of break-and-enters to call 604-717-0610.

Police have been kept busy with several recent incidents in Metro Vancouver.

Metro Vancouver Transit Police are investigating a series of vandalism incidents that have left dozens of bus shelters damaged across several municipalities, including Burnaby, New Westminster, and Surrey.

A stranger attack in a busy downtown Vancouver intersection ended with a father being punched in the face after he defended his children.

And an electric tricycle was pulled over in the HOV lane by Burnaby RCMP during rush hour traffic.