Oceanside Community Safety

1) 2016-4885 On June 5th, a theft of vehicle was reported to have occurred in the 2100 block of Halona Way in Coombs. The complainant advised that between June 3rd and 5th, culprits stole a white 1988 Ford F350 flat deck, BC license JC-1380 from the company work yard.

The Be Safe guide forms part of a series of booklets published for inclusion in British Columbia's Safe Communities Kit. The Safe Communities Kit was developed to assist communities and individuals in preventing crime and enhancing safety across British Columbia. The guide covers seven areas of interest: Personal Safety, Family Safety, Home and Possession Safety, Community Safety, Safety Checklist, Emergencies and How to Get Help Fast and Neighbourhood Tree.

I was asked two interesting questions via e-mail this week: “Is it law or simply a rule in BC that pedestrians should walk facing the traffic when there is no sidewalks along the roads? What happens when the highway maintenance company leaves no shoulder to walk on?” As I contemplate my answer, many thing run through my mind. How do we learn to be a safe pedestrian? How many people don’t know the rules for driver / pedestrian interaction? What are the risks in deciding to walk on or beside the highway?

1) 2016-4566 On May 27th, a break, enter and theft was reported to have occurred in the 1900 block of Seahaven Road in Nanoose Bay. The complainant advised that upon arrival to check on his cabin he found the front door ajar with some damage to the door jamb. The premises appeared to have been rummaged through with various items having been moved about. Nothing of any value appeared to be missing.

My dear wife had her tablet open the other evening and commented to me about a minor furor in a local buy and sell group on Facebook. Someone in the group was trying to sell a child safety seat and was being badgered because it was against the law to sell car seats. I wondered what law made it illegal to sell child restraints because I had not heard of one before. Do your research was her response, you’ll be able to write an article about it.

1) 2016-4284 On May 19th, a break, enter and theft was reported to have occurred at a business in the 800 block of Island Highway West in Parksville. The complainant advised that upon arrival at work he discovered the front doors to the lobby of the arena ajar and the ATM machine in the lobby had been drilled open. The culprits covered two of the security cameras with tape to avoid detection.

I’ve always understood penalty points to be a kind of score keeping method to assign a level of risk to the breach of a traffic rule. The more dangerous the violation, the more penalty points that would be assigned to a driving conviction. Rack up too many points in a set period of time and you would have to pay ICBC premiums and risk a driving prohibition from RoadSafetyBC. Regardless of the fact that penalty points have been a part of driving in BC for many years, they are generally poorly understood.

1) 2016-4146 On May 15th, a theft from vehicle was reported to have occurred in the 200 block of Moilliet Street S in Parksville. The complainant advised that during the early morning hours culprits entered her unlocked vehicle and stole some loose change from the centre console.

1) 2016-3888 On May 8th, a theft from several vehicles was reported to have occurred in the 200 block of Moilliet Street in Parksville. The complainant advised that culprits entered her unlocked vehicle and although things appeared to have been rifled through, nothing appeared missing. Several other vehicles in the immediate area also appeared to have been rummaged through. The registered owners were contacted and other than a pill bottle being stolen from one vehicle, nothing was missing.

1) 2016-3694 On May 3rd, a mischief to property was reported to have occurred in the 700 block of Englishman River road in Errington. The complainant advised that at approximately 12:30 am, they were awoken by a vehicle ramming their front gate in a vehicle. The vehicle eventually was able to ram through the gate but fled when the complainant and her family confronted the vehicle in the driveway. The vehicle is described as a dark blue or black Hyundai Santa Fe or Tucson, with a BC license 031-WMS. The police later confirmed that the aforementioned license was reported stolen out of Ladysmith. This vehicle is suspected to be associated to numerous break and enters in the Errington area recently.