Good Day Block Watch Captains, Co-Captains & Participants,
West Vancouver Police have responded to 537 calls for service since our August 15th Update
Back to School – September 3rd
West Vancouver Schools return to classes September 3rd, and we are heading into the Labor Day Weekend. The long weekend can often include potential for a final round of summer noise, intoxicants & disturbance related behaviours at house parties, in parks, or public spaces. Unfortunately, some incoming Grade 12 students frequently plan large outdoor gatherings on the last night before school which can include Liquor Act offences, Bylaw offences, and illegal campfires. We encourage you to call for patrol attendance if you become aware of gatherings of concern in your neighbourhood. Safety of everyone in our community is always our priority, and attending to these gatherings early can help reduce their risks & impacts.
Traffic Safety
As School returns, please refresh yourself on school zone traffic safety. Our Traffic & Patrol officers will be paying extra attention to School & Playground Zones, as students head back to class. The speed limit in School Zones & Playground Zones is 30 km/hr. School Zones are in effect from 8am to 5pm on all school days. Playground zones are in effect from dawn to dusk, every day of the year.
Break-ins
Alert patrol officers and a traffic stop will re-unite a homeowner with some stolen property. Officers stopped a vehicle in the Westridge area after noting a vehicle licence violation. The stop led to arrest of the driver for an allegation of Driving While Prohibited. Investigation following the arrest led to recovery of property stolen from a Chippendale area home in July.
Thieves remain active in our community. Residents of a Caulfeild area home awoke to find pry marks on a rear door from an attempted break-in. Meantime, forced entry into an Ambleside area multi-unit residential building storage area led to suspected theft of mail from the building.
Whether you reside in a single-family home or multi-unit building, please make a routine of reviewing security of your premises and how valuables are secured. Report any suspicious persons or activities in your neighbourhood.
Thefts
A summer of unattended or unsecured valuables finding their way into the hands of thieves continues. Theft reports over the past two weeks include, sports equipment stolen from an unlocked vehicle on a residential street in the Parthenon Park area, a backpack left unattended on a Ferry, camping equipment stolen from a residential yard and a cellphone left unattended at an Ambleside sports field.
Fraud
Two sadly familiar Fraud offences are among this week’s Crime Alerts. A Dundarave area resident advertised personal computer for sale online. A suspect responded, offered to buy the computer, then sent a cheque for well over the agreed price and asked for resident to refund the difference by way of gift cards. Fortunately the resident did recognize a scam attempt was in progress & contacted police before any financial loss.
Unfortunately, another resident failed to recognize a long running scam in time. They were contacted by a suspect claiming to be security staff for their bank. The resident was asked to withdraw funds & purchase gift cards as part of security testing of tellers. Gift card codes were given to suspect & funds lost before victim realized a scam was in progress. Banks will not conduct security testing of their staff in this way. Please make yourself aware of common fraud types, and help protect any vulnerable persons in your life.
Anytime you see activity of concern, please don’t hesitate to call West Vancouver Police. Call 604-925-7300 for non-emergency matters. Call 9-1-1 in an emergency, including events that involve an immediate threat to a person or property or to report a substantive crime in progress. For updated crime alerts anytime click westvanpolice.ca/crime-alerts.
Jeff Palmer
Block Watch & Operational Support Coordinator
West Vancouver Police
t: 604-925-7300
