Sudbury Police say spike in business break-ins downtown since lockdown

There's been a spike in break-ins in Sudbury's downtown core.

Those cases coincide with a lockdown of all non-essential businesses across Ontario while the province tries to reduce the spread of COVID-19. That order has left a lot of stores unattended.

Since Mar 5, there have been 12 reported break-ins at businesses in Sudbury's downtown.

The data shows the problem isn't escalating in other parts of the city, says Kaitlyn Dunn, a spokesperson for Greater Sudbury Police Services.

"What we're seeing is more condensed to the downtown core — even though the numbers are lower than they were last year in March throughout the entire city, the numbers within the downtown core have increased in that time period," she said.

Police are asking business owners to take special precautions, like checking in on their building or store from time-to-time over the next couple of weeks.

"When traffic on roadways becomes reduced in such a normally highly populated area, people do tend to take advantage of the situation as well," Dunn said.

"Businesses are closed, and they have indicated that they are closed. So individuals see that as a crime of opportunity."

Dunn says business owners can protect their property by making sure their stores are well-lit, perhaps even leaving lights on, and notifying alarm system providers when the property is vacant for more than a couple days.

They should also not keep large amounts of cash on hand.