By CHRIS LLOYD

CRIME IS SOAR- ING in underground

parking lots in North Vancouver City.

And though the most menacing crime with the greatest potential danger is the increasing trend of ar- son, statistics released by the local RCMP show that van- dalism and thefts are also major problems in the same locations.

In the City south area alone - the streets below Keith Road - the RCMP received and investigated approximately 1,100 com- plaints of wilful damage and thefts from autos during 1981.

Of that total, more than two-thirds of the incidents occurred in underground

Police have increased patrols in that district but an RCMP spokesman says: “This is the worst it’s ever been. We can only cover so much. There are more and more apartments going up every year and we c&n't cover them all.”

Recovery rate of articles stolen from vehicles in these parking lots is less than 10 per cent.

RCMP believe that probably the most effective way of curbing the problem is for doors to be installed at the entrances of the parking lots.

Such precautions would be welcomed by the local fire department which is worried about the = upn- precidented incidence of cars being torched in underground parking lots this year.

January saw five incidents of arson in North Van City underground parking lots, involving eight vehicles and one truck canopy. Vehicle

damage totalled about $25,000, in addition to a similar sum in_ building damage.

Chief Fire Prevention Of- ficer Larry Barker ts also strongly in favor of lockup

doors at entrances of these parking areas.

“It certainly would be beneficial,” he says. “We get a lot of problems in underground parking lots - at least 50 per cent of our ar- sons are in those areas.”

Barker says his officers will probably recommend the fitting of security doors when they make their next round of apartment fire safe- ty inspections.

From past experience, though, he has found a reluc- tance to do anything about the situation because of the cost factor.

Installation of doors costs $45,000. Some apartment owners say they would con- sider the idea if they were able to pass the expense on to their tenants, while most renters are not looking for extra expense

Both police and fire of- ficials consider the problems of underground parking

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areas are primarily spon- taneous crimes which occur because of the accessibility of the places to passers-by who are looking for mischief.

Heart of the trouble area is the strip within the three

blocks cither side of Lonsdale. ; An RCMP spokesman says

that crimes carried out in underground parking lots in that strip “are just con- tinuous”.

Accessibility to the park-

ing spots appears to be well known.

“People apprehended are not all local,” he says. “They come im from other areas because it 1s easy to go in there and not be detected.”

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Arsons, vandalsim, thefts

He adds that checks with Burnaby RCMP have shown the problem does not occur in underground parking lots there which have lock en- trance doors.

North Van RCMP are this week launching a program in which they are asking for assistance from owners, managers and residents of apartments which have underground parking areas.

They are suggesting that entrance doors should be in- Stalled to the parking lots and that security should be generally beefed up. Residents are being asked to be more observant and to call the police whenever they see anyone hanging around the parking lot areas.

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A3 - Sunday News, Febraary 21, 1982

DEPTHS OF under- ground parking areas provide cover for criminal activities to be carried out to the vehicles left there

(Terry Peters photo).

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