A8 - Sunday, February 20, 1983 - North Shore News

ing i @
reporter

by
Ellsworth
Dickson

Many North Vancouver residents are very
concerned over the District’s decision to lay
off nine firemen and the mini-pumper truck.

We will save $300,000 in taxes, but is it worth
it?

“‘Do you think that the District
was justified in laying off nine
firemen and the mini-pumper?”’

Peter Kristensen
North Vancouver

I would rather pay a
few extra dollars in taxes
and have the best fire
protection possible. The
mini-pumper 1s an ex-
tremely valuable vehicle
and I would hate to see it
go.

Jeff Rahn
North Vancouver

When it comes to fire
protection, there can be
no financial compromise.
The nine firemen and the
mini-pumper are
definitely worth keeping

Karen Goble
North Vancouver

1 disagree’ with the
Distnet’s decision For
our own safety, we should

keep the onc firemen
and the mini pumper
(ruck

Dennis Wragg
North Vancouver

tis not safe to cut back
on fire protection bt as

not) far to the firemen
ctther We need the min

pumperas well

Pete Sinclal
West Vancouver

$ $00 OOO ts a
prwe to pay if there wasp
serous fire 1 think North
District

small

Vancaourser

shoutd keep the firemen
and the mint puagpoct

Now they’re shoplifting

(First of a two-pant series)

By CHRIS LLOYD

OR YEARS it has been recognized that
shoplifting has been one of the primary
income sources of drug and alcohol

dependents to support their addictions. Now,
in these times of deepening recession, there
has emerged a new kind of shoplifter — the
survivalist, who has resorted to theft to pro-
vide life’s basics and ensure there is food to

put on the table.

Shoplifung incidents
reported to the RCMP in
North Vancouver show the
trend.

theft of items worth more
than $200 during the period
May to November last year
hardly vary from those for
the same months in 1981.
But while the problem of
large-ticket item shoplifting
remains fairly constant,
cases involving less valuable
items being stolen from
stores have been soaring.
showing a 67.7 per cent

increase over the same
penods.
Dunng that six-month

penod of 1981, incidents of
shoplifting involving goods
under $200 reported in
North Van totalled 152. The
corr i months in
1982 saw the figure reach
255.

RCMP cnme prevention
officer Cpl. Don Jetty
comments on the figures:
“Times are getting tighter.
There's no work around and
people are stealing to live.”

“You are now getting
more people who are
stealing not just to support
drug or alcohol habits but to
support their families and
buy grocenes. The trend
seems to have followed the
economy.”

This view is shared by
targets of shoplifting.

Owner of the Super Valu
store at Park Royal, Bob
Wylhe has = noticed = his
shoplifting problem in
creasing “in leaps and
bounds.”

A typical case which came
to his attention recently was
when one of his secunty staff
picked up ao 7o-year old
woman shoplifter

“It wasnt that she forgot
to pay,” says Wythe “This
woman never bought one
thing off us but Came in with
an empty bag and Joaded 1
up with two packets of
chicken, bread and cheese
and took us down for $27

Wythe savs his brother
was managing the store at
the tame and took pity an Che
woman and her 8S year old
husband. Ictung her off with
a warning

Had Wythe handled the
matter: himsclf
pohce — would
called

]l tect sorry for that '6
year old woman ” he says
“On the other hand its $20
and she

he says the
have beeo

shops here cvcy

week and uf PE take uw for oe

weeks Wt costs me $1 444 a

year to do business wath thes
old dear

Wythe appreciates the

pecdheament of the clhaicrly
Weic

ponsroners

getting a dot oof
shoplifting

people om therm late siaties
and acventics lus the
coonomy theyre finding of
pretty Giffacudt Whether ats
thea property Caacs on pust
evsetything potng up how the
ceeds

hell can they make

meet”

At the same time. Wyllie
keeps sight of the fact that
he’s in business.

“Our losses are

to put food

astronomical,” he says. “We
do about $21 millon in
business over a year and
we're looking at about three-
quarters of a per cent of that
in shoplifting. so you're
talking about $157,000.

However, it's not just the
elderly who are feeling the
pinch and turning to
shoplifting. The same thing
apphes to those at the other
end of the age spectrum.

With this age group,
Wyllie again pins the in-
crease in shoplifting on the
recession - specifically on
the resulting unemployment.

“Kids are stealing
eigarettes because they don't
have a job on a paper route
or working at McDonalds’,”
he says. “All the hiring is
down so a kid can't even get
a job at $3.50 an hour any
more.

“How do they) get
cigarettes, candy, makeup.
cassette Llapes, money to put
in’ video machines?” he
askes. “There's no job
source of revenue to get the
money for these things. So
they are stealing. They're
young too, many of 11 and
12”

Whereas West Van police
don't differentiate between
the value of items stolen in
their statistics of reported
shophlftings as the RCMP do
in North Van, even at an
overall level there was a 35
per cent increase in reported
shopliftings last year
compared to 198) well
ahead of the 21.5 per cent
nse for general theft

‘And
deterrent 9 maintains Super
Valu owner Wyllie Its a
cnme going completely un
leashed so Its running ram
pant but nobody is doing
anything ©

there's no

(Part two of this artis le
tells what happens te shop
Lifters wheare caught)

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Coverage

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HORTON

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Tuesday Evening at 667 Howe St

March 29

5S 30 9 30pm
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