Friday October 31, 2025 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Numerous EV charging cables have been cut and stolen from various EV charging stations in the West Shore (Langford and Colwood) between September 30 and October 28, 2025.
A previous rash of incidents occurred between September 30 and October 4. RCMP have now added another three incidents to the list, which occurred earlier this week, on Tuesday October 28:
- BC Hydro EV charging station located near Ocean Blvd/ Island Hwy in Colwood.
- Quality Foods Charging station located at 345 Latoria Blvd, Colwood, BC.
- Royal Roads University located at 2005 Sooke Rd in Colwood.
The resulting value of the damage was thousands of dollars’ worth of damage, say West Shore RCMP.
West Shore RCMP is currently investigating several reports of mischief over $5,000 with regard to that action.
Patrols:
West Shore RCMP frontline officers have made extensive patrols surrounding the various charging stations through the West Shore, however, have not been able to identify this suspect.
“These targeted thefts have caused thousands of dollars in damage and disrupted local services. Our Crime Reduction Unit is fully engaged in the investigation and is focused on identifying and arresting those responsible,” said Cpl. Danny Grieve, Crime Reduction Unit in a West Shore RCMP news release on October 30.
Early hours:
The charging stations seemed to have been targeted during early morning hours between 12:00 a.m. and approximately 3:00 a.m.
Colwood and Langford:
EV charging cords were cut and stolen from:
- Location 1: September 30, 2025 – Peninsula Co-op Gas Station located at 4397 West Shore Parkway, Langford.
- Location 2: October 3, 2025 – Westshore Parks and Recreation (Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre) located at 1767 Island Hwy, Colwood.
- Location 3: October 4, 2025 – Shell Gas Station located at 2890 West Shore Parkway, Langford.
- Location 4: October 4, 2025 – Additional charging cables cut at Westshore Parks and Recreation (Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre) located at 1767 Island Hwy, Colwood.
- Location 5: October 28, 2025: BC Hydro EV charging station located near Ocean Blvd/ Island Hwy in Colwood.
- Location 6: Quality Foods Charging station located at 345 Latoria Blvd, Colwood, BC.
- Location 7: Royal Roads University located at 2005 Sooke Rd in Colwood.
Comment from Westshore Parks and Recreation:
The likely reason for removing the EV charger cables was to access the copper wiring, says Ron Dietrich, Operations Manager, Westshore Parks and Recreation.
Damage at the Westshore Parks and Recreation location was notified to the rec centre reception desk, says Dietrich.
As of October 17, the EV charging stations in two parking spots at Westshore Parks and Recreation were not yet repaired.
SUV vehicle:
West Shore RCMP say they have collected video surveillance and from that believe the suspect is driving a light-colored SUV, likely an older model Jeep Patriot (licence plate unknown).
The suspect is described by police as:
- Male with lighter coloured skin;
- Wearing all dark coloured clothing.
Tips for EV charging stations:
Tips for owners and operators of charging stations, as suggested by West Shore RCMP:
- consider installing cut-resistant cables (with steel re-enforcement) and tamper alarm detection systems
- install better lighting and surveillance cameras at charging stations
- place charging stations in higher traffic areas as this may deter thieves from targeting your station
More information wanted:
If you have information regarding the suspect or suspect vehicle, please call West Shore RCMP at 250-474-2264. Reports can be done anonymously via Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: WEST SHORE RCMP | WEST SHORE LOCAL NEWS