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UPDATED: Two arrests made during Friday VicPD Strike Force operation

Victoria police take residents behind the scenes, live-tweet the operation
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VicPD Strike Force seized stolen goods during a Friday afternoon operation. (Victoria Police Department/Twitter)

Have you ever wanted to go behind the scenes of a VicPD Strike Force operation? Well, now you can.

On Friday, May 1, the Victoria Police Department began live-tweeting as officers conducted a search warrant targeting a property offender known to police.

The VicPD Strike Force is an undercover investigative unit focused on property crime using tips from the public as the City has seen a spike in thefts, break-ins and other property crimes.

“Each search warrant begins with a background investigation,” said police in a tweet. “Once that’s completed, Strike Force officers apply for the search warrant with a judge.”

With a search warrant approved, the unit then meets with the other teams that will be assisting with the operation. For the Friday search warrant execution, the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team and patrol officers were included in the planning.

“Safety is vital in all of these search warrants,” police explained on Twitter. “Each plan is reviewed to make sure everyone is [as] safe as possible.”

Once the plan is approved, the Strike Force unit makes its way to the targeted location. On Friday, the location was a multi-unit residential building in Greater Victoria. Officers were focused on two apartments on the same floor. After entering the first, about half a dozen stolen bikes and other gear were recovered and one person was taken into custody.

The second apartment had a fortified door and window so officers were unable to enter at first. Negotiators were called in to assist and the second suspect was eventually taken into custody. More stolen items were seized by police when the second suite was searched.

After completing the operation, the Strike Force left with two truckloads of recovered stolen goods and returned to the office to start on paperwork and return the items to their rightful owners.

View the entire thread on the VicPD Twitter account @vicpdcanada.

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@devonscarlett
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devon.bidal@saanichnews.com