The construction industry faces the rising prices of land and supplies, but now they must factor in a record number of material thefts.
Pierre Martell, the Owner of Martell Custom homes, caught his most recent occurrence on camera when a dark model truck stole over
$400,000 in materials from a site in North Moncton on May 23.
The recent decision to install surveillance cameras was to combat the $30,000 Martell estimates he’s lost this year.
When Martell brought a description of the vehicle to Codiac Regional RCMP, he was informed that without a license plate, their help would be limited.
“He kinda chuckled and said, ‘we get 8-10 phone calls every Monday morning of job site material theft, and we have been all season,” said Martell, noting the RCMP did not appear to be “overly concerned”.
According to Martell, the Officer said that worksite theft is up more than 500% higher than they have ever seen in the past. This astronomical increase can be attributed to the skyrocketing costs of materials such as lumber.
After the most recent incident, Martell is investing in a company that will provide around-the-clock surveillance for his properties but encourages the public to play a role in stopping these crimes.
“If they see any vehicles going towards a job site after midnight, just call the RCMP right away.”
Now Martell says he is awaiting the opportunity to watch the police arrest the individual that stole from him.
