Saanich police said they received seven reports of break-and-enters in the area between Feb. 7 and Feb. 14.
Most took place in the later afternoon and early evening. Entry was through patio doors that in some cases had either faulty locks or locks that were easily bypassed. Patio doors were also common entry points in the first group of break-and-enters.
Fourteen break-and-enters were reported in the same area between Nov. 25 and Jan. 5.
Acting Sgt. Jereme Leslie said police have not determined whether all of the break-and-enters are related.
“We can’t say with 100 per cent certainty, but there is evidence that it looks like it’s a very similar fact pattern,” he said. “We definitely are looking at it as the same person or persons.”
Police have been unable to link the break-and-enters to either a sexual assault in the area or a series of flashing incidents on Shelbourne Street and other locations.
“At this time, the investigators don’t believe that it’s related,” Leslie said of the sexual assault at a Church Avenue home.
The incident began with a man pounding on the ground-floor door of a suite in a multi-unit building. The two women inside, international students at the University of Victoria, answered the door because they thought it was going to come off its hinges and the glass might break.
Police have not said whether both women were attacked.
Following the assault, they were forced to withdraw money from a nearby bank machine and give it to the assailant.
They then managed to flee to the Starbucks at Shelbourne Plaza where police were called.
Leslie said police have received numerous tips from the public, which they are sorting through.
“There’s nothing further to report at this time,” he said.
