From the files of the Constabulary to the listings of the court house, we highlight the items from our archives that reflect some of the criminal activity in the community.
Tracking those items of our past Podunkian postings reflecting the cases of the local detachment of the RCMP fire calls of Prince Rupert Fire Rescue and the case load of the Justice system and the associated issues surrounding policing and the judiciary
2010
April 7-- Charges laid in investigation into Lax Kw'alaams Academy book keeping
March 29-- Local sherriff receives recognition for honourable long-time service
March 19-- RCMP seeking suspect in suspicious occurrence in Sloan Avenue area
March 16-- Crown to lay charges in the sinking of the Queen of the North
March 16-- First Nation Street gangs are spreading to rural areas targeting at risk youths
February 20-- Big dreams of the Big House in Terrace
February 17-- Calls continue for inquiry into the cases of the missing women of Highway 16
January 23-- Sometimes a house party is just a house party, not a pivotal moment for social justice
January 22-- Police Chase Leads to Suspect Nab
January 22-- Hugs or Handcuffs? The downtown vandalism debate continues on.
January 19-- Going away celebration gets out of hand on Fifth Avenue
January 18-- 21 year old male arrested, charged and released in wake of Saturday night violence
January 17-- East side house party turns ugly, leads to police vehicle damages and standoff
January 13-- RCMP Discount Rumours of "Youth Suicide Pact"
2009
December 28-- Troubling concerns over safety for health care workers on Haida Gwaii
December 23-- Local Mountie to co-ordinate Northern security contingent for 2010 Olympic Games
December 15-- Prince Rupert prominent in Vancouver Sun series on the vanished women of Highway 16
December 13-- Vancouver Sun begins review of Highway of Tears files
December 9-- To take the streets back with Mayor Jack
December 8-- City has a message for community parents
November 9-- RCMP make Terrace arrest of suspect in Kitimat stabbing death
November 6-- RCMP to meet with Highway of Tears families this weekend
November 5-- Taking one's vote out against the Long Gun Registry
November 2-- Nathan Cullen introduces RCMP civillian oversight bill to Parliament
October 19-- Court rules against psychological harm cases for some of the Queen of the North survivors
October 13-- Crime continues to be a concern in Prince Rupert with new stats released
October 8-- Prince Rupert Woman could face murder charges
September 29-- Terrace traffic stop results in major drug bust
September 27-- RCMP involved in shooting north of Hazelton
September 3-- Missing person case now considered a case of foul play
August 31-- Punnett sworn in as new local circuit judge
August 29-- Does a property just off the Highway of Tears hold answers for waiting families?
August 21-- It's been gone a long time
August 21-- Two charges have been laid, son has confessed
August 10-- One man dead another seriously injured after dispute
July 23-- Lead feet of the off duty law, gets Prince George officers in hot water...
July 21-- Saturday rafting accident claims life in Terrace
July 13-- RCMP seek whereabouts of Houston man
July 13-- Musical Ride leaves memories for the North coast as it moves on
July 3-- Robin Gomez found Not Guilty in Victoria Hockey trial
July 1-- Local Cops raise ten grand en route to Seattle
June 25-- RCMP auxiliary force acknowledged and installed
June 19-- Double the trouble for Robin Gomez
June 18-- Downtown manslaughter case adjourned until July 13
June 17-- RCMP release information on Third Avenue slaying
June 17-- Homicide in the downtown core
June 16-- From the ice to the courtroom, Robin Gomez goes to trial
June 15-- Search for Skeena fatality suspended
June 11-- Walk for Justice participants heading into the homestretch of their journey
June 4-- Walkers for Justice seeking public inquiry into Highway of Tears disappearances
June 2-- Rupert constables honoured by North District
June 1-- RCMP make arrests as ferry arrives on the Charlottes
May 31-- A walk for justice begins at a most symbolic place
April 2-- Make sure your best side is showing for that next traffic infraction
March 25-- Highway of Tears to be featured in German magazine
March 23-- Lead feet leave city coffers flush with cash
March 13-- Get out of the courts and into your cars!
March 12-- Rumblings of the need for a Provincial Police force in British Columbia
March 6-- Arrests made in Inlander blaze
March 6-- And now come the excavators
March 4-- Inlander ablaze once again
February 21-- All your emergency services under four walls and one roof
February 19-- Former teacher sentenced to forty five days on sex charges
February 13-- The Inlander may yet rise again
February 11-- The search begins for shelter for the Inlander's residents
February 7-- Residents seek relocation while investigation continues into Inlander Fire
February 6-- The road not to be travelled?
February 6-- Wednesday's Inlander fire forces residents to relocate
February 4-- Inlander suffers smoke, water damage in afternoon fire
January 28-- Drugs intercepted en route to Lax Kw’alaams
January 25-- Highway of Tears families receive update from RCMP
January 24-- Justice will take the form of a circle
January 22-- Early morning fire claims two lives in Terrace
January 15-- Bar Crowd troubles continue
January 11-- Underpaid Mounties contemplate an exodus
Showing posts with label Crime in Prince Rupert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crime in Prince Rupert. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Sixth avenue shooting case takes an interesting twist
An incident at a Prince Rupert convenience store two years ago, which saw a woman shot by a Prince Rupert RCMP Corporal, has finally wound its way through the courts, with the woman on trial acquitted of all charges.
Maya Sanford was cleared of her charges, after evidence pointed towards the presence of psychosis due to her apparent drug use, a situation which resulted in her believing her life was in danger when she attacked the RCMP officer in the store on September 29th of 2006.
The details of the trial as relayed in the Daily News provide a picture of a woman whose use of marijuana so clouded her reality, that she put her own life in peril by her actions.
The trial provides an interesting review of how drugs in our community can have an impact on the fabric of the city.
Maya Sanford was cleared of her charges, after evidence pointed towards the presence of psychosis due to her apparent drug use, a situation which resulted in her believing her life was in danger when she attacked the RCMP officer in the store on September 29th of 2006.
The details of the trial as relayed in the Daily News provide a picture of a woman whose use of marijuana so clouded her reality, that she put her own life in peril by her actions.
The trial provides an interesting review of how drugs in our community can have an impact on the fabric of the city.
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And in this instance, while she is probably quite thankful that the outcome of the trial came out in her favour, it’s clear that those circumstances on September 29th could have ended even more tragically for her.
The trial outline and its outcome, was the front page headline story in Tuesday’s Daily News.
WOMAN ACCUSED OF ASSAULT ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES
Sanford’s mother thankful her daughter’s name has been cleared
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, September, 8, 2008
Pages one and two
A woman who was shot by a Prince Rupert RCMP officer in 2006 was acquitted of all charges against her after a trial in Prince Rupert Provincial court last month.
Maya Sanford, 23-years-old at the time, was shot by Cpl. Richard Van De Pol on September 29, 2006, after an incident in a convenience store in the 600 block of Sixth Avenue West.
When her trial began August 4, 2008, Sanford plead self-defence, and was represented by Don Martin. The trial’s first witness confirmed that Sanford had smoked marijuana from an “ice bong” with several people at a residence, and said immediately after-ward became antsy and paranoid.
The next witnesses were employees of Raffles Inn, who testified that Sanford entered the lobby and said “they’re after me” and “he’s in the bush trying to kill me,” and was not responsive to questions.
She then got into a taxi, the driver of which was the next witness. He too said Sanford was unresponsive to questions, and did not pay him when she got out of the car at the convenience store.
Sanford’s friend Natalie Mercer was working at the store, and corroborated that her friend was behaving strangely and believed she was in danger.
Cpl. Van De Pol, an officer with 18 years of experience, testified that he believed Sanford saw him as a threat and as she lunged at him he shot her.
An expert witness also gave testimony that the descriptions of Sanford’s behavior are similar to what psychosis from frequent and repeated marijuana use may look like.
During the course of the trial, three of the charges against Sanford were dismissed due to lack of evidence. The charges of mischief, assaulting Natalie Mercer with a weapon and attempting to take Cpl. Van De Pol’s firearm were all dismissed, leaving only the charges of assaulting a police officer with a weapon to be decided.
In Judge Agnes Krantz’s ruling the following week on August 15, she stated that self-defence can occur even if the accused’s perception was wrong, and that what Sanford believed at the time was critical to determining whether her actions were warranted.
He then rule that there were too many witnesses; most of them Crown witnesses, testifying to Sanford’s strange behavior and altered state of mind.
“It would appear that Ms. Sanford believed that not only was there somebody trying to kill her but that other people were in on a conspiracy of some nature to do her harm. She accused the ladies at Raffles Inn of that.
“She accused Ms. Mercer of that, and as she explained to us, she thought the policeman as well was in on the conspiracy to harm her,” said Krantz. “Given the number of people, including the policeman, who though that Ms. Sanford was not behaving normally or as a normal person gives her credibility, but it also adds weight to the evidence of the expert.
“I am prepared to accept the possibility that Ms. Sanford was experiencing psychosis, in all likelihood brought about by her consistent marijuana use, and that in the circumstances on the 29th of September 2006, Ms. Sanford believed that the policeman was part of the plot against her and that her life was in danger, and that her only ability to save herself was basically by attacking him,” said Krantz.
At the time of the incident in 2006, RCMP reported that they were called to a disturbance at the store in which a “distraught” woman was claiming people were trying to kill her, and that upon arrival it was obvious to Cpl. Vad De Pol that Sanford was under the influence of a drug. After unsuccessfully trying to calm her, she grabbed a pair of scissors and attacked Cpl. Van De Pol.
It was also reported that after a physical struggle to disarm Sanford, Cpl. Van De Pol discharged his firearm, shooting her in the abdomen below her left breast.
Sanford was taken to Prince Rupert Regional Hospital and treated for her injury, remaining in stable condition until she was released a week later.
Upon her release from the hospital, Sanford was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, assault with a weapon, attempting to disarm a police officer, and mischief.
Sanford then appeared before a Judicial Justice of the Peace that same day, who remanded her to appear in Prince Rupert provincial court on Tues.Oct. 10, at which time she was released on bail.
An independent review of the incident was commenced, which included assistance from the “E” Division Major Crime unit under the direction of an inspector from the Vancouver Police Department.
But as it turns out, Sanford was found not guilty of assaulting Cpl. Van De Pol, as Judge Krantz said in her “paranoid reality” he was part of the plot against her and “not engaged” in his duty as a policeman.”
Krantz closed by commending Cpl. Van De Pol for his straight-forward evidence, noting that he believed him to be a “compassionate police officer” who was “obviously moved and distressed by the events at they unfolded.”
Sanford’s mother Gretta Jones said that she was relieved her daughter’s name would finally be cleared.
“My daughter was only asking for help, and the first thing they should have done was take her to get help knowing she was in a situation like that,” said Jones.
“This was a 23 year old girl that was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and because nobody would help her she could have been killed.”
Nearly two years and multiple surgeries later, the bullet is still lodged inside Sanford. Upon being found not guilty last month, she was finally able to gain employment in Vancouver where she now resides as a dual Canadian./ U. S. citizen.
The trial outline and its outcome, was the front page headline story in Tuesday’s Daily News.
WOMAN ACCUSED OF ASSAULT ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES
Sanford’s mother thankful her daughter’s name has been cleared
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, September, 8, 2008
Pages one and two
A woman who was shot by a Prince Rupert RCMP officer in 2006 was acquitted of all charges against her after a trial in Prince Rupert Provincial court last month.
Maya Sanford, 23-years-old at the time, was shot by Cpl. Richard Van De Pol on September 29, 2006, after an incident in a convenience store in the 600 block of Sixth Avenue West.
When her trial began August 4, 2008, Sanford plead self-defence, and was represented by Don Martin. The trial’s first witness confirmed that Sanford had smoked marijuana from an “ice bong” with several people at a residence, and said immediately after-ward became antsy and paranoid.
The next witnesses were employees of Raffles Inn, who testified that Sanford entered the lobby and said “they’re after me” and “he’s in the bush trying to kill me,” and was not responsive to questions.
She then got into a taxi, the driver of which was the next witness. He too said Sanford was unresponsive to questions, and did not pay him when she got out of the car at the convenience store.
Sanford’s friend Natalie Mercer was working at the store, and corroborated that her friend was behaving strangely and believed she was in danger.
Cpl. Van De Pol, an officer with 18 years of experience, testified that he believed Sanford saw him as a threat and as she lunged at him he shot her.
An expert witness also gave testimony that the descriptions of Sanford’s behavior are similar to what psychosis from frequent and repeated marijuana use may look like.
During the course of the trial, three of the charges against Sanford were dismissed due to lack of evidence. The charges of mischief, assaulting Natalie Mercer with a weapon and attempting to take Cpl. Van De Pol’s firearm were all dismissed, leaving only the charges of assaulting a police officer with a weapon to be decided.
In Judge Agnes Krantz’s ruling the following week on August 15, she stated that self-defence can occur even if the accused’s perception was wrong, and that what Sanford believed at the time was critical to determining whether her actions were warranted.
He then rule that there were too many witnesses; most of them Crown witnesses, testifying to Sanford’s strange behavior and altered state of mind.
“It would appear that Ms. Sanford believed that not only was there somebody trying to kill her but that other people were in on a conspiracy of some nature to do her harm. She accused the ladies at Raffles Inn of that.
“She accused Ms. Mercer of that, and as she explained to us, she thought the policeman as well was in on the conspiracy to harm her,” said Krantz. “Given the number of people, including the policeman, who though that Ms. Sanford was not behaving normally or as a normal person gives her credibility, but it also adds weight to the evidence of the expert.
“I am prepared to accept the possibility that Ms. Sanford was experiencing psychosis, in all likelihood brought about by her consistent marijuana use, and that in the circumstances on the 29th of September 2006, Ms. Sanford believed that the policeman was part of the plot against her and that her life was in danger, and that her only ability to save herself was basically by attacking him,” said Krantz.
At the time of the incident in 2006, RCMP reported that they were called to a disturbance at the store in which a “distraught” woman was claiming people were trying to kill her, and that upon arrival it was obvious to Cpl. Vad De Pol that Sanford was under the influence of a drug. After unsuccessfully trying to calm her, she grabbed a pair of scissors and attacked Cpl. Van De Pol.
It was also reported that after a physical struggle to disarm Sanford, Cpl. Van De Pol discharged his firearm, shooting her in the abdomen below her left breast.
Sanford was taken to Prince Rupert Regional Hospital and treated for her injury, remaining in stable condition until she was released a week later.
Upon her release from the hospital, Sanford was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, assault with a weapon, attempting to disarm a police officer, and mischief.
Sanford then appeared before a Judicial Justice of the Peace that same day, who remanded her to appear in Prince Rupert provincial court on Tues.Oct. 10, at which time she was released on bail.
An independent review of the incident was commenced, which included assistance from the “E” Division Major Crime unit under the direction of an inspector from the Vancouver Police Department.
But as it turns out, Sanford was found not guilty of assaulting Cpl. Van De Pol, as Judge Krantz said in her “paranoid reality” he was part of the plot against her and “not engaged” in his duty as a policeman.”
Krantz closed by commending Cpl. Van De Pol for his straight-forward evidence, noting that he believed him to be a “compassionate police officer” who was “obviously moved and distressed by the events at they unfolded.”
Sanford’s mother Gretta Jones said that she was relieved her daughter’s name would finally be cleared.
“My daughter was only asking for help, and the first thing they should have done was take her to get help knowing she was in a situation like that,” said Jones.
“This was a 23 year old girl that was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and because nobody would help her she could have been killed.”
Nearly two years and multiple surgeries later, the bullet is still lodged inside Sanford. Upon being found not guilty last month, she was finally able to gain employment in Vancouver where she now resides as a dual Canadian./ U. S. citizen.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Local RCMP feeling the pressure of staff shortages
As Prince Rupert’s crime statistics reach ten year highs in a number of categories, perhaps it may finally be time for the City to revisit their strategy of holding the level of staffing down from its traditional strength of 36.
Tuesday’s Daily News presented a front page headline story that outlined the challenges that the day to day operations of the local detachment are operating under. With the 29 members that work out of the Prince Rupert office handling a high level of cases that places them within the top ten of hardest working detachments in the province.
With the current vandalism sprees key among the many concerns of Rupertites, the fact that the local force is limited to its responses, due to the short staffing is something that should be addressed and explained by council.
The Daily News story provides an interesting look at the workload of the city’s constables and provides a pretty solid bit of research as to why a return to full staffing might be quite beneficial for the community.
It may not knock down the rate of crime in the community; the reasons for that spike in numbers are probably much more varied than just the number of officers on patrol.
But increasing to the approved force level would at least share the load of the cases that they handle on a nightly basis and reduce the potential for burn out from the front line patrols. Cost cutting on an essential service as this, hasn’t apparently been very successful in this instance and instead seems to have made a bad situation that much worse.
LOCAL RCMP STRETCHED TO THE LIMIT
Staff shortage makes it tough for RCMP to handle their case-load
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Tuesday’s Daily News presented a front page headline story that outlined the challenges that the day to day operations of the local detachment are operating under. With the 29 members that work out of the Prince Rupert office handling a high level of cases that places them within the top ten of hardest working detachments in the province.
With the current vandalism sprees key among the many concerns of Rupertites, the fact that the local force is limited to its responses, due to the short staffing is something that should be addressed and explained by council.
The Daily News story provides an interesting look at the workload of the city’s constables and provides a pretty solid bit of research as to why a return to full staffing might be quite beneficial for the community.
It may not knock down the rate of crime in the community; the reasons for that spike in numbers are probably much more varied than just the number of officers on patrol.
But increasing to the approved force level would at least share the load of the cases that they handle on a nightly basis and reduce the potential for burn out from the front line patrols. Cost cutting on an essential service as this, hasn’t apparently been very successful in this instance and instead seems to have made a bad situation that much worse.
LOCAL RCMP STRETCHED TO THE LIMIT
Staff shortage makes it tough for RCMP to handle their case-load
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Pages one and five
With the crime rate in Prince Rupert at a ten-year high, Prince Rupert RCMP report their workforce is being stretched thin with one of the highest caseload burdens in the province.
The 29 RCMP members currently working out of the municipal detachment are operating on an annual average of 123 Criminal Code cases per member, placing them among the top ten hardest working municipal forces in British Columbia.
“Our workload has gone up astronomically,” said Staff Sergeant Jim Vardy.
“In 2006 we were at 109 cases, but now we’re at 123 per member.
“We have an approved force of 36, but we’re only operating with 29 members right now, and in 2005 and 2006 there were only 28.
“Which means our policing model has to change from proactive to reactive.”
With maximized case burden, the Prince Rupert RCMP has minimal ability to have officers working with youth, conducting foot and bike patrols, and other proactive work that many communities can afford. What Staff Sgt. Vardy also noted is that the 29 members working out of the municipal detachment includes police administrative staff, meaning the average caseload for Constables is probably higher than 123.
“The Watch Commanders and Corporals don’t take as many files as the Constables on the road since they’re supervising five or six Constable’s police work, so the actual member on the road has an average caseload much higher than what’s reported,” said Staff Sgt. Vardy.
“I’d say our Constables are probably around 150 per year.
“And that’s only the Criminal Code, and doesn’t include drug files, picking up intoxicated peoples, traffic accidents, or just assisting the general public.”
Most of the time there are only five RCMP members working, and nearly every incident reported to police requires the response of two members, which severely limits the ability of Prince Rupert RCMP to respond to complaints in a timely manner. In addition, violent crimes and ‘persons offences’ always get priority, which means on a busy night with numerous assaults property crimes are at the bottom of the list.
Fortunately the Prince Rupert RCMP municipal force does get support from the staff at the North District office, including the federal drug and marine units, when there are local emergencies such as bomb threats or gas leaks.
Staff Sgt. Vardy said he is also in the process of submitting an application to get four additional Aboriginal Policing members in Prince Rupert, which would enable the force to increase their proactive presence in the community.
“They wouldn’t be responding to calls their job would be to work with the various Aboriginal communities within the city of Prince Rupert,” said Staff. Sgt. Vardy.
“Through organizations like the Friendship House and programs like Planet Youth, they would be responsible for enhanced policing which include drug and violence awareness programs,” said Vardy.
“We have six positions right now in our outlying communities of Lax Kw’alaams and Hartley Bay, but right now there’s a freeze on all those positions.
“What we’re doing now is getting our ducks in a row so that when the government takes the freeze off those positions we’ll already be in the queue.”
With the crime rate in Prince Rupert at a ten-year high, Prince Rupert RCMP report their workforce is being stretched thin with one of the highest caseload burdens in the province.
The 29 RCMP members currently working out of the municipal detachment are operating on an annual average of 123 Criminal Code cases per member, placing them among the top ten hardest working municipal forces in British Columbia.
“Our workload has gone up astronomically,” said Staff Sergeant Jim Vardy.
“In 2006 we were at 109 cases, but now we’re at 123 per member.
“We have an approved force of 36, but we’re only operating with 29 members right now, and in 2005 and 2006 there were only 28.
“Which means our policing model has to change from proactive to reactive.”
With maximized case burden, the Prince Rupert RCMP has minimal ability to have officers working with youth, conducting foot and bike patrols, and other proactive work that many communities can afford. What Staff Sgt. Vardy also noted is that the 29 members working out of the municipal detachment includes police administrative staff, meaning the average caseload for Constables is probably higher than 123.
“The Watch Commanders and Corporals don’t take as many files as the Constables on the road since they’re supervising five or six Constable’s police work, so the actual member on the road has an average caseload much higher than what’s reported,” said Staff Sgt. Vardy.
“I’d say our Constables are probably around 150 per year.
“And that’s only the Criminal Code, and doesn’t include drug files, picking up intoxicated peoples, traffic accidents, or just assisting the general public.”
Most of the time there are only five RCMP members working, and nearly every incident reported to police requires the response of two members, which severely limits the ability of Prince Rupert RCMP to respond to complaints in a timely manner. In addition, violent crimes and ‘persons offences’ always get priority, which means on a busy night with numerous assaults property crimes are at the bottom of the list.
Fortunately the Prince Rupert RCMP municipal force does get support from the staff at the North District office, including the federal drug and marine units, when there are local emergencies such as bomb threats or gas leaks.
Staff Sgt. Vardy said he is also in the process of submitting an application to get four additional Aboriginal Policing members in Prince Rupert, which would enable the force to increase their proactive presence in the community.
“They wouldn’t be responding to calls their job would be to work with the various Aboriginal communities within the city of Prince Rupert,” said Staff. Sgt. Vardy.
“Through organizations like the Friendship House and programs like Planet Youth, they would be responsible for enhanced policing which include drug and violence awareness programs,” said Vardy.
“We have six positions right now in our outlying communities of Lax Kw’alaams and Hartley Bay, but right now there’s a freeze on all those positions.
“What we’re doing now is getting our ducks in a row so that when the government takes the freeze off those positions we’ll already be in the queue.”
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Lock it and pocket the key
The RCMP in Prince Rupert is alerting the city's residents that the best way to combat theft from your vehicles is to lock the doors and make sure nothing is visible inside of your car or truck.
Break and entries on vehicles are on the rise in the city some of them unwittingly assisted by local residents who neglect to lock their doors when leaving the vehicle.
TV7 had full details on the problem posted to their website on Thursday.
Theft from vehicles on the rise in Prince Rupert
Fri, 2008-07-11 12:05.
Fri, 2008-07-11 12:05.
TV 7 CFTK
Local News
Local News
THEFT FROM VEHICLES IS ON THE RISE IN PRINCE RUPERT. THE RCMP IS REMINDING PEOPLE TO LOCK THEIR WINDOWS AND DOORS AS IT'S THE FIRST STEP IN PREVENTION.
MEMBERS OF THE PRINCE RUPERT RCMP'S COMMMUNITY POLICING SECTION WILL BE OUT AND ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY, DELIVERING REMINDERS TO MOTORISTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SECURING VALUABLES IN THEIR VEHICLES AS PART OF THE THE "LOCK IT OR LOSE IT" PROGRAM.
VEHICLES WHICH ARE LEFT UNLOCKED ARE AN INVITATION FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND LEAVING WALLETS, ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT OR LOOSE CHANGE IN PLAIN SIGHT WILL CREATE A RISK FOR PROPERTY CRIME.
HELPFUL TIPS INCLUDE: PARKING IN WELL- LIT AREAS, TAKING YOUR POSSESSIONS WITH YOU AND REMOVING YOUR GARAGE DOOR OPENER.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
The Bust, was uh, er, a Bust…
When it comes to fighting crime, sometimes you break a few egss and sometimes you’re going to squeeze a few tomatoes!
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Perhaps the intelligence was a little bit lacking on this one, as reports begin to filter out about a major operation last week in Prince Rupert that didn’t exactly turn out as envisioned we suspect.
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Canwest News out of Vancouver has details on the operation that might have left a few folks with faces the same colour as the cash crop they found.
'Grow-op' nothing but tomatoes
Canwest News Service
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
VANCOUVER - Red-faced police officers in Prince Rupert on B.C.'s north coast were looking for a marijuana grow-op came up with a tomato-grow-op instead.
Canwest News out of Vancouver has details on the operation that might have left a few folks with faces the same colour as the cash crop they found.
'Grow-op' nothing but tomatoes
Canwest News Service
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
VANCOUVER - Red-faced police officers in Prince Rupert on B.C.'s north coast were looking for a marijuana grow-op came up with a tomato-grow-op instead.
Commercial fisherman Bruce Aleksich said Tuesday that about 15 RCMP officers burst into his business last Thursday, only to find 400 tomato plants in various stages of growth.
After a bleak spring, Aleksich said he decided to grow the tomatoes under lights.
When RCMP arrived at about 9 p.m., Aleksich told them he was a gardener with nothing but tasty tomatoes in the building.
Nevertheless, Aleksich, two employees and two visitors were forced to the ground.
"They had us on the floor for over an hour," he said. "All of us were cuffed. I don't know how it got to the point where guns were drawn."
Aleksich said he has heard nothing from the RCMP about their mistake.
"You'd think they would be embarrassed," he said. "I just wanted them to say it was a mistake. People now assume I was growing marijuana."
Aleksich said his two visitors, a friend from Victoria and his girlfriend, were looking at real estate.
"I don't think he's going to buy land here after that," said Aleksich.
An RCMP spokesman could not be reached.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Terrace take down has a Rupert connection
The Terrace RCMP arrested five Lower mainland residents Monday, as the group travelling in two separate cars arrived on the outskirts of the city. In a scene that must have looked like many a Hollywood movie over the last number of decades, the Terrace RCMP prepared to take down a band of hombres heading out of Rupert on the only road east.
Terrace RCMP had set up a roadblock just west of the city, after information from the Prince Rupert RCMP led them to believe that the five were soon to arrive in their community. The notice to the Terrace RCMP went out after the Rupert RCMP determined that the five were alleged to have broken into 37 lockers at the you-store-it company in Prince Rupert. The five apparently did not find what they were looking for as nothing was actually taken as a result of the break in.
But as a result of their uninvited browsing session the five were arrested and charged with a number of offences from their visit to Prince Rupert. Among the charges to be processed are break and enter with intent to commit an offence, use of firearm while committing an offence, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a firearm, knowingly possessing a firearm without a licence and possession of a break-in instrument.
Three of the five were also charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm in a vehicle.
They will all find a return visit to the city in the offing as the next court date for the five will be April 28 at the Prince Rupert court house.
The Terrace Standard had details of the incident posted to their website today.
POLICE EXTRA: Police take down armed gang
By Margaret Speirs - Terrace Standard - April 10, 2008
By Margaret Speirs - Terrace Standard - April 10, 2008
FIVE PEOPLE who allegedly broke into a Prince Rupert storage company now face a variety of criminal charges after being stopped at an RCMP roadblock on Hwy16 outside of Terrace.
Charges relating to the April 7 break in and subsequent roadblock include possession and use of a firearm.
Prince Rupert RCMP, after being made aware that a group of men was fleeing east of their city on Hwy16, alerted their Terrace counterparts who then set up a roadblock.
The five men, all from the Lower Mainland, were in two cars and gave themselves up without any problem.
Jeff C. Dejesus, Robert Kowalczyk, Christopher Litchfield Michal Matuskiewicz and Rayean Saing - all from the Lower Mainland, are alleged to have broken into 37 lockers at the you-store-it company but didn't take anything.
The five were charged with break and enter with intent to commit an offence, use of firearm while committing an offence, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a firearm, knowingly possessing a firearm without a licence and possession of a break-in instrument.
Three of the five were also charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm in a vehicle.
Initial reports indicated the Terrace Emergency Response team was involved in the take down, but that detail has not been confirmed.
Initial reports indicated the Terrace Emergency Response team was involved in the take down, but that detail has not been confirmed.
Their next scheduled court date is April 28 in Prince Rupert.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Criminal Gangs eyeing Northern BC
Police across Northern BC are keeping a closer eye on gang activity these days, conscious of an increased interest in Northern BC spurred on by the oil and gas development of the Peace area and the economic spin off benefits of the Fairview Container Port.
The Prince George Citizen posted an article on their website today, which examined the growing activity which the police now says involves at least seven different organizations that are operating in the North.
Of interest to those on the North coast is the attention that the police are paying to the development of the Port of Prince Rupert, a changing situation that they feel will lead to a marked increase in drugs, weapons, child pornography, slavery (sex- and extortion-based) and other ultra-illegal activities gangs revel in.
To date they haven't received any tangible leads on those activities but if port development in the south is any indication then it is expected that eventually, the concern over those activities will come to pass.
The Full article was posted on the website this morning and was also reprinted in the Prince Rupert Daily News in the Monday edition of the paper.
Gang activity growing in the North
(News) Monday, 14 January 2008, 00:00 PST
FRANK PEEBLES,Citizen staff
Gang activity is growing in strength in the Northern B.C. region, according to Mounties, just as it is growing in Prince George and in the Lower Mainland. Violence is not expected to rise in an inordinate way, but rise it will, if it follows the trends.
"There are 129 organized crime groups identified in B.C., seven of whom are operating in the North," said North District RCMP headquarters spokesman Const. Craig Douglass. "That number has tripled since 2003 but we also have tracking systems that are much better now so they have been here all along, or they might be recent additions. It is hard to tell, but we are aware of them here."
The province has a police task force dedicated to undermining organized crime gangs. RCMP Sgt. Shinder Kirk speaks for the unit and he told The Citizen that these 129 groups are everything from three or four people who work together in a crime venture on up to the most organized and entrenched of them all, the B.C. Hells Angels.
In Prince George the three principal gangs are The Renegades Motorcycle Club, The Crew and The Independent Soldiers, but there are others with fingers into the northern capital and others operating in Peace-country where oil and gas money is plentiful and the lifestyle is often rough around the edges.
"I would certainly say it is growing to some extent, like the coming in of the Independent Soldiers and groups from Alberta moving their activities into the northeast," Douglass said. "There is an increased amount of communication and co-operation among themselves, reaching agreements and that sort of thing."
In spite of the relationships, many of the organized crime groups aren't that organized, however. Police in Prince George have noticed a lack of any loyalty among the low-level drug dealers and other pawns on the street. A mercenary attitude seems to currently exist, The Citizen was told, and that holds true in the regional scene as well.
"We find these groups aren't as structured, aren't that organized, it is a loose group doing a loose set of things," Kirk said. "They are often very fluid in their composition, in their makeup, in their criminal activity. They use a group name as a means of doing business, but it is not organized in the traditional sense of the word. The outlaw motorcycle gangs are not that way; they are highly organized. The Hells Angels are almost fanatically organized."
Douglass said much of the organized crime activity in the North is based on trafficking in powder cocaine, crack and heroin and on the growing of marijuana. On another level, Douglass said, the public has to face organized crime in connection to the houses that get broken into, the cars that get stolen, the bad cheques that are written, the local people who get beaten up over $20 drug debts, the local girls who are indentured into survival sex, the kids that drug dealers approach on the school playground, etc. All of it is a result of drugs, the flagship commodity in the gang industry.
With the opening of the Port of Prince Rupert, authorities are expecting to see a marked increase in the North in drugs, weapons, child pornography, slavery (sex- and extortion-based) and other ultra-illegal activities gangs revel in although no tangible leads have come to pass. Some of those activities were already going on in Prince Rupert due to the old port, and it is an inevitable circumstance wherever international shipping takes place, said the Mounties.
Douglass said Northern B.C.'s law enforcement officials, and there are many other than the RCMP, meet on a regular basis to share information and work together to fight organized crime. They have the violent lessons of the Lower Mainland as a stark incentive to target those criminal organizations.
"Typically they target each other (when violent), but that's not to say people nearby can't get hurt," Douglass said.
Kirk said the financial stakes are so high and the people involved so dysfunctional that total disregard for human life has been plainly demonstrated many times over and northern residents need to know it is coming to our communities too. However, both he and Douglass agree that many regions have been successful in keeping organized crime at bay. It takes the will and direct action of the public to do that.
"Everyone has a role to play in this - people who are out there living their lives, trying to raise their children," Kirk said. "We have a duty to report even the tidbits and nuggets that we might know about crimes and the people doing crime. Get involved in doing that, get involved in positive adult living so young people see that is the way to live not these other ways to live, and by getting involved in building a school group, a community association, a neighbourhood watch, citizens on patrol... When you do these things, you put the community in a position to notice this other stuff going on, and then you report it."
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Have you been hit by thieves recently?
The RCMP have located and seized a number of pieces of stolen property after executing a search warrant on Sunday night on the east side of town.
A thirty year old woman was taken in custody and released upon a Promise to appear, the RCMP are recommending charges of possession of stolen property as well as two counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
The details on the arrest and some background on the stolen property can be found from the RCMP's provincial website.
Drugs and stolen property seized by RCMP during search of local residence
January 7th, 2008, Prince Rupert, BC -
At approximately 8:00 pm on the night of Sunday, January 6th, 2008, the Prince Rupert RCMP executed a search warrant on a residence in the 1300 block of Seville Road. Police located and seized numerous pieces of stolen property, as well as a quantity of marihuana and cocaine.
The 30 year old female resident was arrested at that location and later released on a Promise to Appear. RCMP are recommending charges of possession of stolen property as well as two counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
The Prince Rupert RCMP will be working to return the recovered property to the local residents and businesses from whom it was stolen. Local residents are reminded to mark all valuable property for identification or, where possible, record the serial numbers of their property.
Serial numbers can be located on many items such as electronics (computers, stereo equipment, and televisions). Providing police with the serial numbers of your stolen property greatly increases the likelihood that it will be recovered and returned to you.
Anyone with information regarding this or any other criminal activity can contact the Prince Rupert RCMP at 627-0700 or Crimestoppers at 627-8477. Crimestoppers does not require that you leave your name and you may be eligible for a cash reward.
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-->Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave West
Prince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0700
Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca
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