ESTEVAN — The Estevan Police Service is advising the public of things to watch for amid a recent increase of people reportedly entering empty properties.
The EPS received a report of people trespassing, and living in a vacant and boarded-up building in central Estevan on April 21. The following day, members attended to a vacant and boarded-up building, also in central Estevan, for several pieces of plywood that appeared to have been removed to access the building. Nobody was located in the building in either instance, and in the second case, arrangements were made for the owner to re-secure the plywood to prevent access.
Police Chief Jamie Blunden said people should be on the lookout for people coming and going from the properties, as well as any broken windows, boarded-up windows or doors where the wood has been pried off.
He added charges, depending on the circumstances, would most likely be break and enter and commit an indictable offence, or an offence that would have occurred, like theft or mischief. Being unlawfully in a dwelling house could be another charge, he said, depending on the circumstances.
A sentence would be up to the courts for penalties, but Blunden said it could be a conditional sentence order, which is a jail sentence to be served in the community, or a jail or prison sentence.
