A recent wave of thefts from vehicles in Westmount may have been stopped, thanks to the teamwork of Westmount's Public Security unit and Station 12 police.

On the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 1:10 a.m., PSOs Steve Payne and Tina Lanzon were patrolling the streets of lower Westmount when they spotted a man acting suspiciously, said Public Security Director Richard Bourdon.

The man in question was lurking behind a home on Dorchester Boulevard near Bruce Avenue. Payne got out of the patrol car and was able to watch the man as he entered vehicles parked at two homes on Bruce Avenue.

Station 12 police were called in. They arrived within minutes and arrested the suspect in the backyard of a home on Columbia Avenue.

"They caught him," said Bourdon. "We're having another wave of thefts from vehicles, so perhaps we resolved a portion of that."

Three new officers are part of a new operational team serving the Station 12 territory.

The project-based action module is just over a month old and has already been involved in three arrests. "This is something that's needed," said Station 12 Constable Adalbert Pimentel.

The team works on a per project basis which allows them to develop specific strategies and target problems that have been identified in selected areas. This module, known as 'MAP,' unites officers with different types of expertise and allows them to combine investigative, intelligence, prevention and suppression knowledge for more complete, lasting interventions.

The MAP's specific responsibilities include collecting and sharing information, identifying specific problem areas related to crime, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of patrols on police territory.

In Westmount, the MAP team has been working to quell noise and graffiti complaints in local parks.