A 31-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in connection with multiple mailbox thefts and with stealing the alleged victims' identities.

West Vancouver Police have charged Natalie Stone with three counts of theft of a credit card, three counts of possession of property obtained by crime, two counts of unauthorised use of a credit card, one count of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking and three other offences.

She was arrested Nov. 19, and will remain in custody until her court date.

The arrest is part of a larger ongoing investigation the WVPD have been working on since August, when many mailboxes in the area were stolen, said Cpl. Jag Johal, a spokesman for the force.

"(Ms. Stone is) the first person that we have arrested, but we do believe she's part of a group," he said.

"People who do these types of crimes don't operate by themselves.

"We're just trying to identify who they are, and if we have enough information on them, we'll also go and arrest them."

Johal said identity theft is on the rise in B.C.

"Whether it's people from back east, Quebec, Ontario, whether it's our locals, or whether it's organized crime such as from the Orient or from Russia, it's out there."

More arrests are expected as the investigation progresses.

Johal asked that anyone who sees suspicious activity near to a mail box to report it to the WVPD at 604-925-7300.

He also took the opportunity to remind residents about the Block Watch Program, which has been credited with the rise in arrests in the area.

To get involved, contact Anne Russell at 604-925-7363.