It’s no secret that Grande Prairie’s winters can be tough, leaving many looking for a way to escape the cold, and as a result, the RCMP has shared some best practices to protect your home while you are away.
According to the RCMP, Grande Prairie experienced a slight uptick in break-and-enter incidents in January 2025, compared to the previous year, with 18 events in the first two weeks of the year.
Grande Prairie RCMP Corporal Patrick McPhee says that oftentimes, B&Es are a crime of opportunity, much like vehicle theft, which means there are steps residents can take to mitigate any potential property crimes during their holiday.
“ There’s little things that we can do to make things a little bit less obvious, less opportune,” he says. “These can be simple things like making sure your neighbour brings in your garbage can, if you go on vacation, put your garbage out before you go.”
The winter presents an entirely different set of challenges though, as McPhee says criminals might look for things like an unshoveled driveway or a lack of tracks in the snow, leading them to believe your home could be an easy target.
“When there’s fresh snow, sometimes your driveway is not shoveled, there’s no fresh track to and from, so that could be an indicator like- hey there’s nobody here, if there are no lights on, no vehicles parked, so it can be simple things like having a conversation with a neighbour- hey can you keep an eye on my house, maybe pay one of the neighbour kids to shovel your driveway,” he says.
The RCMP suggests installing security or alarm systems, using automatic timers to turn on lights, and having adequate outdoor lighting to give the illusion someone is home, even while they are away.
McPhee maintains one of the best ways to give yourself peace of mind while on vacation is simply asking a trustworthy neighbour to keep an eye on your home. He adds that outside of a potential property crime incident, accidents can happen if you aren’t at home, so having someone to watch for any mishaps could be the best way to ensure your home is safe.
“This is a bit anecdotal, but even from an insurance perspective, if something happened to your house like an electrical fire or someone did break in, that would result in an insurance claim, so just having someone check on your house, not only will it give you peace of mind, but it’ll probably help you if something happens down the road,” he says.
Additionally, Grande Prairie’s online shoppers are encouraged to avoid ordering items online while they are away, as mail theft is often a crime of opportunity as well.
Suppose the worst ends up happening regardless of your prevention efforts. In that case, police say any signs of a break-in such as a broken window or an open door should be reported to 9-1-1 immediately, without entering your home.
