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Busy season attracts thieves to Ucluelet

Recent thefts include fishing gear, wiring and ice cream.
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Thieves snatched fishing gear from three vessels moored in Ucluelet’s inner boar basin on May 6.

The West Coast’s warm sun is attracting valuable visitors to the region but it’s also luring unwelcome lurkers.

The busy season is setting in and Ucluelet police are urging locals and visitors to lock up their gear and report any suspicious activity to the police at 250-726-7773.

“Unfortunately this is the time that some individuals decide to come here because there’s more people out and about and more crime of opportunity,” said Const. Jarett Duncan of the Ucluelet RCMP. “At this time of the season, there’s more unwanted individuals who come out our way.”

Vessels pilfered

Thieves snatched fishing gear from three separate vessels moored at Ucluelet’s inner boat basin on May 6 around 1:15 a.m.

“There is video surveillance and we’re following up on that information,” Duncan said. “Hopefully we’ll find out who did this and go from there.”

He urges boaters to lock up their valuables before leaving their vessels unattended.

“Try to secure everything that you can. Take the due diligence and make sure anything valuable is put away and secured. Don’t give anyone that crime of opportunity,” he said.

“Take the same approach as you would a vehicle. Hide and secure all your valuables and make sure it’s not easy for anyone to come by and quickly grab, because that’s what criminals are looking for: stuff that’s easy to access and to take.”

Ongoing thefts at campground

Thieves have been hitting a logging camp on Maggie Lake Forest Service Road for the past several months.

Duncan said roughly $10,000 worth of various items has been snatched including batteries, cables and alternators.

“This has been happening over a period of time now but it’s just come to our attention now,” he said. “There’s some evidence that was left behind so we’re processing that and it’s actively being investigated.”

Police were notified about the ongoing incidents on May 11 and Duncan encourages victims of crimes to report the incident to police as quickly as possible.

“In our type of work, of course, time is of the essence for us,” he said.

“We can’t go back in time. We can only deal with what we have at this present time…The sooner we get that information the sooner we can act, the sooner we can process the scene and the sooner we can start talking to people.”

He said waiting to talk to police could impact the amount of information they receive.

“Memory fades, so the longer you let it sit, the less information you’re going to be providing to us and all that information is important,” he said.

“Memory will lapse and we may not get all the details that we want so, if you provide it at the onset of when it happened, we get more details and we also get ahead of the game.”

Ice cream stolen

About $125 worth of ice cream was taken from a delivery truck parked at Black Rock Resort on May 12.

The theft is believed to have occurred around 8 a.m., according to Duncan who said the delivery driver did not notice the ice cream was missing until they arrived at their next stop.

“They suspect that when they were unloading their merchandise to the Black Rock, that’s when someone went into the back of their truck, grabbed the ice cream and left the scene,” Duncan said. He said Black Rock’s surveillance system is being reviewed and anyone with any information about the theft is encouraged to contact police at 250-726-7773.

 

 



Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly News as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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