Hundreds of bronze vases stolen from Burnaby cemeteries, RCMP say
Burnaby RCMP say the losses reach the hundreds of thousands of dollars. A dedicated phone line and email address are open for tips, and thefts are typically found only when loved ones visit.
Illustrative photoFamilies visiting graves in Burnaby may arrive to find the bronze vase that held their flowers gone. Burnaby RCMP say several hundred of the vases have been stolen from cemeteries in the city, and a dedicated phone line and email address have been set up for tips.
The vases sit directly on a grave marker and give loved ones a place to leave flowers for the deceased. For anyone across Metro Vancouver with family buried in Burnaby, the theft touches a routine act of remembrance. Police said in a release sent Wednesday morning that the total monetary loss is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to Burnaby RCMP, some of the vases are worth more than $1,000 each.
Police do not know exactly how many have been taken. The thefts are typically discovered only when loved ones visit the site.
Cpl. Mike Kalanj said the sentimental value to grieving families outweighs the monetary value of the vases, and that police are committed to identifying those responsible. The Vancouver Sun described the items as valuable bronze gravesite vases meant to hold flowers left by loved ones.
Anyone with information can call 604-646-9911 or email E_Burnaby_CemeteryTheft_Tips@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
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