Good Day Block Watch Captains, Co-Captains & Participants,

West Vancouver Police have responded to 389 calls for service since our last update.

Stolen Boat Recovery

Timely information relayed to West Vancouver Police helped get a stolen boat & motor headed back to its rightful owner. West Vancouver Police were alerted by a resident of suspects outbound from Bowen Island in a stolen boat with a second boat under tow. Officers responding to the wharf at Fisherman’s Cove located three suspects who were arrested with the boat & motor recovered for return to the rightful owner.

Fraud

Unfortunately, some very familiar Scams were reported this past week, including one instance of the Cheque Overpayment Scam, & two residents victimized while attempting to purchase items advertised on Social Media. A resident agreed to sell kitchen equipment to an online buyer. The buyer offered to pay with a cheque for significantly higher than the agreed purchase price and asked the seller to refund the difference. Someone offering to pay with a cheque well above a purchase price is a sure sign of a fraud attempt in progress. The hope is that the seller will deposit the cheque and send the refund before discovering the cheque is fraudulent. Sadly, that was the case in this event.

In the two other cases, victims sent money to people advertising items online, only to find they could no longer reach the ‘sellers’ after their money was gone. Always take great care when considering any transaction with someone you only know from online contact. If your online transaction is with someone in the Lower Mainland, using a designated ‘Trading Safe Zone’ as a meeting point to complete a transaction can help deter offenders and reduce the risk of encounters with strangers. The Front Entry & Atrium area of our WVPD Headquarters is a ‘Trading Safe Zone’. The Atrium area is open to the public Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. The front entry plaza is in view of security cameras 24 hours a day.

Parks & Disturbances

The season of youth gathering in parks and other public areas, sometimes with associated noise, disturbance & mischief reports is upon us. WVPD deploys extra officers on selected days to support Patrol teams as they work to ensure public safety in our parks & public spaces. If you see activity of concern, including prohibited beach fires, liquor act offences or property damage in progress please don’t hesitate to call West Vancouver Police.

WVPD in the Community

A busy time for officers & staff in the community. On Tuesday, WVPD & North Vancouver RCMP teamed up to host the North Shore leg of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run fundraising in support of inspiring BC Special Olympics athletes. Thank you to all road users for your patience as our runners made their way from WVPD HQ to the North Vancouver Detachment. And congratulations to several officers completing the recent North Shore Triathlon.

If you see suspicious activity or persons in your neighbourhood, please don’t hesitate to contact West Vancouver Police. Call 9-1-1 in an emergency. Call 604-925-7300 for a non-emergency response.

Jeff Palmer

Block Watch & Operational Support Coordinator

t: 604-925-7363 | c: 604-785-2446

And we want our neighbourhoods safe for many reasons, including,….

Community Services Team

755 16th Street

West Vancouver, BC   V7V 0B8

Tel: 604-925-7300

wvpd.ca

West Vancouver Police