Surveying equipment worth $85,000 was taken in Coquitlam last week, leaving a man without the tools of his trade.
And the Coquitlam RCMP are asking for the public’s help in locating them.
The theft occurred Feb. 7 just after 10 a.m. when a Coquitlam surveyor mistakenly left two cases of surveying equipment in the 900-block of Quadling Avenue in Maillardville. He returned a few hours later to find the equipment gone.
Fortunately, police have photos of the missing equipment, including serial numbers, which would make it easy to identify the goods and return them to the man, according to RCMP spokesperson Michael McLaughlin.
“This equipment is very specialized and the market is limited. If enough people know these items are stolen, then they will be really difficult to sell and perhaps we can get them back to their original owner where they belong."
The photos posted to accompany the story closely resemble the stolen items.
They include: a Leica Viva TS16 total station, green with a white handle and in a bright red case: Serial number (SN) 3010318; a Leica Viva GS16 GNSS receiver, a round, flat, black and white device (in a bright red case): SN 3248216; a Leica CS20 field controller (looks like a handheld computer in a figure-eight shape) in a bright red case: SN 2421321.
The combined value for these items is between $75,000 and $85,000, according to police.
The hope is that someone took the equipment to keep it safe until determining the owner.
But McLaughlin said that’s an optimistic view, although police have retrieved items from people who want to make sure they get to the original owner.
“We’ve had people who have found thousands of dollars and bring the money in saying it should go back to somebody. If that’s the case, maybe we’ll have it by the end of day,” McLaughlin said.
More likely, however, it was taken for its resale value. But as the items are specific to the industry, they will be difficult to sell, he said.
Anyone who has seen any of this stolen equipment should call the Coquitlam RCMP non-emergency number and quote file number 2020-3521. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers with the information at 1-800-222-8477 or at www.solvecrime.ca.
