Moncton-area vandalism, break-ins 'completely out of hand,' locksmith says
Maryse Carey says she's never been busier, and is urging mayors to do something to curb the crime wave
Maryse Carey could very easily have said nothing.
She could have kept fixing the increasing numbers of vandalized lockboxes, replacing more and more stolen apartment and vehicle keys, installing soaring numbers of anti-pry plates to bolster doors – and getting paid to do it.
But Carey, who owns Carey My Keys lock and safe shop in Moncton, says she can't in good conscience look away from what is driving this unexpected business boom.
She says break-and-enters, vandalism, theft and other crimes are "completely out of hand" in the greater Moncton area.
And she worries that they will continue, and possibly worsen, unless the growing problem of homelessness and drug use are addressed and policing and mental health supports are increased.
Carey and her husband, Travis, have shops in both Moncton and Dieppe. Carey said she's seen the disturbing trend at both locations over the past year. And in the past six months, she said, it has skyrocketed.
Broken locks, stolen keys, vandalized coin boxes
"People breaking locks to get in, people drilling washer-dryer coin boxes, people setting up camp in the vestibule, making the residents of the apartment very uncomfortable," she said.
"Sometimes they're trying to open up the electrical rooms, so they're damaging the locks on the electrical room, trying to get in to steal. They're stealing keys ... left for N.B. Power, for firefighters in case of emergency."
Carey said it breaks her heart to see her clients coming in week after week to have the same repairs done and keys replaced, over and over again.
"One day when a client came in with eight washer [coin] boxes that just had been drilled, I was like, 'This is getting completely out of hand.' And I just felt compelled to do something to help them."
Letter sent to mayors of Tri-cities
On Tuesday, Carey sent a letter to the area's three mayors, listing the many types of damage her company has had to repair – and re-repair – in the past year, asking, "What is happening to Greater Moncton? What is the source of the problem? And how can we fix it, together?"
She asked them to consider meeting with apartment building owners, property management companies and others to discuss the problem.
As of Friday night, none of them had responded to her.
However, Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold's office responded to a CBC request for comment Friday morning, noting that the mayor had received the letter and forwarded it to the RCMP, "given they remain responsible for addressing crime."
"Unfortunately, with the growth that Moncton has been seeing in recent years, there are challenges that arise," communications manager Austin Henderson said in the email, noting "these are also not exclusive to Moncton."
Henderson said that "addressing homelessness and substance use in our area is a top priority for the City."
"The City has taken many steps to address these challenges, but we know that more work is still needed," he said.
"We continue to work with partners using an 'all-hands on deck' approach to ensure that the foundational elements of housing and wrap-around services [such as] mental health and addictions support, safe supply, addressing poverty ... are in place."
Mayor 'concerned' about rising crime
Dieppe Mayor Yvon Lapierre said Friday that he has been away from the region this week and is "catching up with emails."
"At this time I can only comment that we have been concerned about the increased level of criminality in the region," Lapierre said in an email.
"We are aware of some break-ins in some neighbourhoods, but not aware of some of the other issues raise by Mme Carey. I have already asked our staff to reach out for more information from the RCMP, in terms of statistics and crime reports. "
Riverview Mayor Andrew LeBlanc did not comment on Carey's letter, saying in an email that he was "not available" Friday due to prior commitments.
In the meantime, Carey is working on trying to get things done at a grassroots level.
She's been in contact with several residents and businesses and has suggested they form a committee of business owners, property managers, apartment building owners and residents to bring their concerns to city council.
She said she knows much has already been done to address the issues, including increased funding for homeless shelters and beefed-up RCMP patrols downtown and in problematic areas.
But she thinks much more is needed, particularly in terms of providing mental health supports, which she says are "inadequate, if I can put it that way."
"Something needs to be done," she said. "Before it's completely out of control.
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