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Rash of break-ins at Regina construction sites

Regina police are dealing with a rash of thefts at construction sites — many in the new Harbour Landing subdivision.

Thieves have been breaking through the doors at homes under construction and taking tools and building supplies, the police said.

There were nine such thefts last week, eight of them in Harbour Landing on the west side of the city and the ninth in the Greens on Gardiner area in the southeast.

But it a trend that's been there for much of 2012 — there have been 51 break-and-enters at under-construction homes since the beginning of the year.

"We're seen this category trending upwards for quite a period of time," police Chief Troy Hagen said. "There's a lot of tools, there are a lot of valuable items in these homes and buildings that area being constructed."

Hagen said the spike in numbers is related to the fact that Regina is in the middle of a building boom.

"There's a tremendous amount of building and growth occurring within our community," he said.

Police have stepped up patrols and have talked to people in the construction industry about tightening up security.

"It's yielded some fairly positive results," he said.

Overall, there's good news in the monthly crime statistics discussed at Tuesday's Board of Police Commissioners, Hagen said.

Total crime from January to October is down about 10 per cent, compared to the same period last year.

Property crimes, in particular, have been declining over the long term, he said.