RUSHING OUT to work one morninz Debbie and Karl Broughion found themselves the victims of a thief.

The couple's 1981 Subarus was sui where they left ir the night be- fore, on a quiet residential street in Pemberton Heights, bur the win- dow by the driver's seat had been smashed, and two expensive jackets left on the front seat stolen.

Despite the inconvenience, the Broughtons consider themselves fortunate. The thief or thieves didn’t steal their stereo.

“He didn't even bother to open the door,’’ said Debbie. “It was smash and grab.**

Investigating RCMP Cst. Larry McNabb said thefts fram automobiles are happening all over the city.

McNabb, who took down the particulars in the rain, said he doesn't hoid out much hope that the thief will be caught.

“We've got very little to go on. There were no fingerprints left and we don't have a description,’” he said.

North Vancouver police last year investigated 1,875 incidents of theft from automobiles — up 22.5 per cent over the previous year. Another way of looking at that statistic, police said, is realizing that one out of every 49 vehicles in North Vancouver was a _ thief’s target last year.

Preventing auto thefts has become an ever-increasing concern to North Vancouver RCMP, who estimated the dollar loss from such crimes in 1986 at more than half a million dollars.

“It makes up a significant pro- portion of our workload,” said Insp. Sal Salminen.

‘We need to get people’s coop- eration. We would really like peo- ple to refrain from keeping anything valuable in their car. Also people should consider marking

By KIM PEMBERTON

News Reporter

items, like stereos, radio equip- ment, radar detectors — because the more items that are marked, the better the chance of apprehen- ding the thief and recovering the items,

“Often we've come across a suspect with items in his possession that we're certain in) our minds were stolen, but they were not identifiable by the victim. The un- fortunate bottom line is we have to give them back (to the suspect) and let him walk away."'

Corp. Terry Grimm said police are planning to co-sponsor 27 Automark program with a local community group in the near future. This program involves engraving a driver's licence number on any valuables Ieft in vehicles.

A driver’s licence number can also be engraved on installed stereo equipment, after which an adhesive tape can be piaced over the number so as not to detract from the stereo’s look.

Grimm noted that in Nanaimo, which began an Automark pro- gram in °85, of the 900 vehicles that had equipment marked, not one had been the subject of a theft or an attempted theft.

Salminen said underground parking lots have proven to be a trouble spot, where thieves have an opportunity to steal’ from a number of vehicles at one time.

Since December, he said, two underground parking lots in North Vancouver were the targets of thieves. In one of the cases an alert resident noted suspicious activity and called the police. This resulted in police being able to arrive on the

VISITORS TO the Ambleside Dog Walk Park are greeted these days by

an unauthorized no trespassing sign.

3 - Sunday, January 18, 1987 - North Shore News

UP 22.5 PER CENT FROM LAST YEAR

Thefts fro

Cars fra

scene immediately and arrest four suspects.

“Citizens in) North Vancouver are well above most in other com- munities in terms of their will-

ingness to call police (when they see a crime in progress)."’ said Salminen.

“With community cooperation we can expect auto thefts to be less

of a problem this year.”

{f anyone is interested in the Automark program he is asked to contact Cst. Cliff Doherty at 985- 1311. .

NEWS photo Terry Poters

NORTH VANCOUVER RCMP Cst. Larry McNabb takes down information relating to a theft of two expen- sive jackets from Debbie and Karl Broughton’s car earlier this week. The thief gained entry by smashing the window on the driver’s side. Police are urging residents to take precautions such as hiding valuables left in

vehicles.

AMBLESIDE DOG WALK Natives deny posting

A NO TRESPASSING sign was erected near the Ambleside Dog Walk Park recently, but it’s not known why or who

placed it there.

The land is under the jurisdic- tion of the Squamish Nation, and the sign reads ‘‘NO TRES- PASSING, BY ORDER OF THE SQUAMISH INDIAN BAND.”

But Squamish band manager Bill Williams said band council did not okay the sign, which is located at the east side entrance of the park, near Park Royal Mall.

“Tt could be a band member that’s just pissed off, or a non- Indian that just wants to stir things up and make people mad at the Indians,”’ he said.

Williams said since 26 acres of Ambleside Park, including the dog

walk, was returned to the band in 1983, the band had never taken steps to prevent access by non- members.

“‘We know it’s our land. But | don't think there is any possessiveness about who is walk- ing over our land. We’re responsi- ble people. Non-Indians have been using that tract of land for a few years and there’s no reason for not letting them use it,’’ he said.

Williams said the only reason the situation may change is if the band develops the area for economic purposes, such as building condominiums.

no trespassing sign

He added he doesn’t expect that will happen in the near future.

The Ambleside parkland was among 130 acres of land returned to the band by the federal gov- ernment. The Jand had been il- Jegally cut-off from the band’s reserve in 1924.

West Vancouver municipality continues to pay the park’s yearly maintenance costs of $100,000.

West Vancouver Mayor Don Lanskail said he met informally with native leaders before Christmas and expressed an inter- est in negotiating a possible sale by the band of the Ambleside proper- ty to the municipality.

But he said he expects negotia- tions will be lengthy and kept fair- ly low profile.

ACCORDING TO NV DISTRICT REPORT ON GARDEN AVENUE TRAFFIC Closure wou

A PROPOSAL to close Garden Avenue would only ag- gravate an existing traffic problem, adding to rush-hour congestion at the Capilano Road-Marine Drive intersection,

a report has reveaied.

The traffic study, commissioned by the District of North Van- couver, is the latest move by coun- cil tc respond to Lower Capilano” area residents plagued by the fallout of rush hour traffic from Capilano Road and Marine Drive.

The residents have been lobby- ing the district to restrict com-

By MICHAEL BECKER News Reporter

muter traffic through Garden Avenue.

The report, prepared by DeLCan Engineers and Planners, concludes that closure of Garden Avenue would ‘‘add a considerable

number of vehicles to the already congested Capilano Road-Marine Drive intersection.”’

The report goes on to recom- mend that Garden Avenue remain open between the two major roadways and suggests the district: « install new traffic signals at the intersection of Garden Avenue and Marine Drive; © upgrade the west leg of the in- tersection of Marine Drive and Garden Avenue to include a left turn lane; :

® ensure the north leg of the Garden Avenue-Marine Drive in- tersection has two approach lanes, one for right turns and one for left turns and through traffic; ® close Hope Road between Tatlow Avenue and Garden Avenue; ® restrict the west end of Hope Road to right-in access only; © change the designation of Hope Road from secondary arterial to local.

The report said the open Garden Avenue option will not improve

id cause congestion

traffic at the Capilano-Marine Drive intersection and will not please the Lower Capilano Com- munity Residents Association, but will ‘significantly reduce’’ traffic volumes on Tatlow Avenue, Philip Avenue and Hope Road.

Council moved to receive the report and refer it back to council for further consideration Jan. 26.

Mayor Marilyn Baker question- ed the possible increased use of Garden Avenue. —