story in

NV RCMP Const. Marc Boland in charge of program

IT WAS a comedy of errors
for three young break-
and-enter suspects.

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

“Their troubles began at about
10:45 a.m. on Dec. 9 when they
“decided to break into a house on
- Walpole Street in the Seymour
area of North Vancoiver District.

‘The decision was’ their first
mistake. They targeted a-.house
-owned by a Block Watch member.

The homeowner was awakened
when he heard “a noise. He in-.
vestigated and. liscovered three
young people leaving- his house
carrying bags. He cafled the police
and provided a description of the
trio,

He then began to foltow them
“as: they left the scene on foot.

They then surned on to a
neighboring street, still on foot.
The homeowner continued to
follow.”

‘At. this” point a Block Watch
captain in the neighborhood saw
what was going on and found it
strange that three youths carrying
_bags. would. be © followed bya
- fourth person.

. The Block: Watch captain: called
the, police “and . told: them ‘what
he had observed. At this point the
> three ‘suspects’ noticed that they
: Avere being followed.
ea They dropped . “their loot and
began-: ‘Tunning.- If. the three: =,
thought : they: could’ “escape, they.
were sadly mistaken.” . .

They ran“ onto. a. neighboring
sireet..A~ second. Block Watch’
captain. noticed their activity. She-
jumped . into“ her:.car and “began .
following them:

The trio then’ ran to a nearby
house. They knocked on the door
‘and-asked the homeowner: if: they
could use the telephone, to call a

~ cab. The. homeowner, who’ also .
happened ‘to ‘ be*’a Block. Watch
“member, ‘refused their, request,
. Closed. the: door. and - fed. the
Police, hon,

‘The suspects then ran to a
house’: two.-doors away . and
repeated their: request’ to the
homeowner. He told them to stay
at_ the front door. and. that he
would call’a taxi for them. The ,
--° homeowner then closed the door,
“vealed for a taxi, and then called
“the police.

ae iy —
LE Li iG

Oe aes

¢ ORGANIC ¢ DELICIOUS 9 Innovarve q.
. FRESH SEAFOOD ¢ VEGETARIAN ¢ ORGANIC POULTRY
. Candlelight dinners overlooking the water ...

CAPERS WEST VANCOUVER

-Mare ‘Boland,

atch big success

IN. Van

44 The fear of crime is higher in the district
than the city. 9F

This homeowner was also a
Block Watch member.

The taxi arrived before the
police. The homeowner wrote
down the name of the taxi com-
pany and the licence plate number
and relayed the information to
police.

Police pulled the cab over and
arrested the three suspects.

North Vancouver RCMP Const.
who has been in
charge of the focal detachment’s
Block Watch program for the pust
three months, said this incident is

— RCMP Const. Marc Boland

Jation does not have the same
sense of ownership that a single-
family dwelting has. The fear of
crime is higher in the district than
the city,”’ said Boland.

He added that the cily is a
high-traffic area and ‘because of
that people’s fear of crime is
lower than it ts in the district.

“The Block Watch program can
work in the city and we would
certainly like more participation in
the city,’ said Boland.

Anyone wishing more informa-
tion an the Block Watch program

Christmas Gift Ideas. from
Axel’s Cycles

srecnuzen, MOUNTAIN BIKES

Reg. Xmas Speclal

Hardrock $429 $349"

Rockhopper - Sport $699 5559"
Rockhopper - FS

(Shocks) 5749"

$789"

Stuinipjumper

$944
$947

OTHER GIFT IDEAS

HELMETS « CLOTHING + COMPUTERS + LIGHTS

the area have been on streets that

af esources

in Nosth Vancouver can call the
main detachment at 985-1311 and
ask for the Block Watch office.

LEASE OR PURCHASE
‘93 300ZX AT

a clear example of how the crime
prevention program is working.

“It was a series of events where
people called the police. 11 shows
how the trail was identified from
the start to the finish. The only
reason we were able to arrest them
was because people called the
police,’ said Boland,

He added. that the coordinator
for the Seymour. area Block Watch
program said the last fous out of
five break-and-enters to occur in

are not part of the Block Watch
program.

Boland said that nearly 70% of
the streets in’ the Seymour area,
belong to Block Watch.

. “The: (North, Vancouver) com- °
munity’s number one concern. is
the security.of their neighborhood.
The. mere’ fact--that neighbors are
talking to neighdors will reduce’

Not only the fear of crime, but

crime itself,’’ said Boland.

While Boland said it is easy for ~
the police to ‘continue regular
routine patrols, he added the most
effective _ Way + to . use’ police
‘is for the public to
report crimes in progress.

Boland said the RCMP’s Block
Watch program is a big success in
North Vancouver District, but is
virtually non-existent in the city.
The city.is home to a larger por-
tion of. people who rent. The

_Tenters tend to be a transient pop-
“ulation.

“That high concentration .. of
rental and higher. transient popu-

Some of life’s most important lessons can only be learned on the street.
Which is why anyone who purchases the high-performance 1993 Nissan
300 ZX is entitled to attend a two-day course at The Nissan School of °
Performance Driving. It includes both classroom and track training.

The same training all Team Z representatives must undergo before we'll”.
let them near a Zon the showroom floor.

To find out more, see Regency Nissan, and discover the real meaning of
an accelerated learning curve.

CERTIFIEO DEALER

_ REGENCY NISSAN
(NORTHSHORE)

2496 Marine Drive, West Vancouver 925-3316

‘CAFE OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY 84M -9Pm
, SUNDAY 84M - 4pm

~ ~ °

1160 Marine Dr, North Vancouver D6127

AA. Decemper 24 CLosiNG AT 4 PM Chosen Decemuer 25 & 26 J? . 98 5 93 1 1