Break-and-Enter

Coming home to find your house has been broken into and your valuables gone can be heart-breaking, especially if you have lost irreplaceable items like family heirlooms. In all the upset, it can be difficult to know what to do first.

If you believe the suspect is still on the property or the crime happened within the last 15 minutes, call 9-1-1 immediately. If the suspect is gone, and it’s been more than 15 minutes since the break-in happened, please call our non-emergency line at (604) 717-3321.

Nothing can prepare you emotionally for this experience, but we hope this short video about what to expect once you have made a police report will make the process less difficult.

A police officer may take a verbal statement from you about what has happened to include in their report. The officer may also ask for a written statement if there is a large amount of property stolen or evidence left behind at the scene, or if you have a suspect or a suspect has been arrested by police.

This is the information that police will need:

• full name
• date of birth
• contact information
• date and time the last person left your home
• whether the residence was locked
• date and time you returned home
• details about the events before and after the break-in
• property damage
• any other information that will assist in the investigation, like possible suspects or suspect vehicles

Once the police and forensic investigators have gone, you can begin the clean-up.

Instructions for cleaning fingerprint powder

• do not let children or pets near it
• do not vacuum the powder
• clean fingerprint powder as soon as possible to avoid spreading it throughout your home
• use a dry paper towel to carefully remove as much of the fingerprint powder as possible
• finish up with a window cleaning solution on paper towel
• if there is any blood to clean, use gloves and clean it with bleach and water

You may discover other items missing in the days following your break-in, or you may find things you believed had been stolen. Please update your police report by:

Email: vpdtranscriptionsupport@vpd.ca

Mail:
Vancouver Police Department
Transcription / CPIC Support
3585 Graveley Street
Vancouver, BC V5K 5J5

Please include:

• your name
• date of your report
• VPD file number

If your government-issued identification was stolen, such as your Canadian passport or citizenship card, please advise Service Canada. If your passport is issued by another country, report it to your local embassy.

Most police officers work rotating shifts, working for four days, followed by four days off, so it can sometimes take time to respond to you.

You can reach the officer by calling 3-1-1 or by email (firstname.lastname@vpd.ca).

If you will be making an insurance claim, your insurance company will need a copy of your police report.

Request a Copy of a Police Report

With your consent, your insurer can make this request on your behalf. You will need to give them your police file number.

The Vancouver Police Department Victim Services can help you in many ways:

• emotional support
• information on taking care of yourself to reduce the effects of trauma
• personal and property based safety tips
• how to access free, VPD crime prevention information and programs
• referrals to appropriate areas of the VPD or other agencies
• contacting the police to get an update on your file
• information on how to recover stolen identification
• in the rare instance that you may be required for court as a witness, Victim Services can support you through the process\