(WTVR) — Police are warning folks who live in Petersburg and Prince George County to be on the lookout for suspicious cars in their neighborhoods after multiple break-ins were reported over the past month.
“We already had an alarm system in the house, so we went ahead and turned it on and activated it,” Tracey Phillips told CBS 6 senior reporter Wayne Covil outside her Prince George County home Monday.
The activation comes about a month after the family moved in and two homes in the neighborhood were burglarized.
With three children, Phillips and her husband made the quick decision.
“They said they were happening during the day, so we wanted to ensure we took the precautions we needed to protect not only ourselves but our stuff,” Phillips said.
Both Prince George County Police and Petersburg Police reported they have seen an uptick in breaking and entering crimes over the past 30 days.
However, it is not just homes along N. Stedman Drive that were targeted.
In fact, workers at an area car audio shop said someone walked away with some of their tools. And Crossroads Church was the target of vandals last week.
“We came in one morning for work and just were preparing for the day and we realized this window right here was broken out,” said lead Pastor Brett Cooper, who also said that no one was able to get inside the church.
And in Prince George County, thieves have hit homes in Bailey Ridge at least three times over the past 30 days.
As word spreads of the break-ins, police said they have now gotten a half-dozen calls for either suspicious people or suspicious cars in the area.
“It appears they’re taking electronics, anything that’s easy to grab and get of in a brief amount of time,” Prince George County Police Captain Brian Kei said.
Petersburg and Prince George County police said that if residents spot anyone suspicious in their neighborhood, they should call police immediately.
