= eee

A 17.

Newsstand Price 50¢ December

18, 1983 Newsroom 985-2131

Classified 986-6222

W.VAN

NEWS photo Terry Peters

RUTH STOUT, Irene Caverty, Mertyle Kilby and retired fireman Buck Jovaik (clockwise
from bottom) are four of the West Vancouver residents who have donated their time this

age to fill ham

for the estimated 200 needy in West Van. Donated goods and toys will
delivered to families this week.

Tis the season:

THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER

SUNDAY
sunny

MONDAY
sunny

HITS VANDALS

Point Atkinson
SUNDAY

Will post signs
offering reward

WEST VANCOUVER vandals had better beware:
signs are to be posted in the community advertising
rewards for information about persons suspected
of vandalizing municipal parks.

According to Mayor Der-
rick Humphreys, damage
worth between $4,000 and
$6,000 occurs on a monthly
basis in some areas of West
Vancouver.

He cued the skateboard
park behind the annex to the
Inglewood Centre as a par-
ticularly hard-hit area, referr-
ing to the graffiti displayed in
large, black, spray-painted
letters as ‘‘disgusting, wan-
ton vandalism "’

The discussion on the pro-
posed signage produced
hesitation among some
aldermen at last week's Coun
cu meeting with Ald Diane
Hutchinson saying she
**would hate to see such signs
going up unless uo was a big
problem "’

But, Municipal Manager
Terry Lester concurred with
Mayor Humphreys in the
level of vandalism taking
place, adding ‘"We are awaic
of some of the idiots
atrive over the parkland

Damage to publs property
is a criminal offence under
the Criminal © ode
penalties varying according
to the severity of the crime
Cst) Dave Marskell of the
West Vancouver Police
department said in an inter
view that damage amounting
to less than $80 is) termed
“wilful damage with the of
fender ordered to pay restitu
tion Ifthe penalty ts not paid
within the time presertbed by
the court) the accused can be
sent to jail for a peniod of up
to two months

who

with

over $8O is
the

with the of

Damage
“mischief
Cromunal € ode

undoes

fender ether guilty of an in-
dictable offence and liable to
a maximum jail sentence of
14 years, or an offence
punishable on summary
conviction.

Marskell said the police are
usually not informed of most
damage occurring in
municipal parks, but added
the department's ‘‘biggest
problem crimewise’’ is theft
from autos, the majority of
which occurs in parks.

‘There's been close to 20
percent increase of theft from
autos and it happens in parks
hke Lighthouse, Whytechff
and Glencagles,’’ said
Marskell.

The new signs will adver
tise a reward of up to $100
for information leading to
the arrest and conviction of
or the recovery of costs from
persons found to be vandaliz
ing muniwipal parks and umn
provements, and will only be
posted in areas where some
vandahsm has taken place
One definite target areca will
be the Inglewood skateboard
park

“We te painted the
skateboard arca a few weeks
ago and in no time at all,
some kids had taken some
black spray paint and put up
four letter words all over the
place,” Htumphicys told the
North Shore News

There's alse been damage
to the Jewish
Centre, and the shelter in
Ambleside Park had to be
taken What
hoping for ts chat the signs
will lead to a softening of the
vandalism
place

Community
down

were

hu) ww

takiog