Did the Bard get it right when he penned the immortal words "All's well that ends well"? Not if you talk toBellingham resident Frank Choltco-Devlin, whose pickup truck containing his snoozing dog was snatched from the parking lot at the Stawamus Chief recently. Although Choltco-Devlin is ecstatic about getting his beloved chocolate Lab back, the whole experience has soured him on the Shining Valley. And the rest of us should be asking some serious questions about this latest episode of blatant larceny in our midst.
Auto crime has been a recurring blight in local provincial parks for the better part of a decade. We spend bundles of taxpayer dollars on promotional videos, glossy advertising, and downtown beautification projects, only to have our reputation tarnished by thieves. Negative publicity gets around fast in the age of mass communications. The purloined dog-in-the-truck story garnered the attention of print and broadcast media from Whistler to Seattle.
On the bright side, this incident may wake a few folks up who are a tad too casual about securing their property. Three respondents on a CTV news blog offered the following up-front assessment of the incident:
"People who naïvely leave such valuable things in their cars are as much of a nuisance to society as the ones who break in and steal it."
"It is never OK, under any circumstances, to leave an animal in a vehicle. People who do this should be held accountable and fined."
"If you leave your dog in your car, you deserve to have it stolen. I would have only broken the window to let the poor dog out."
But let's look at the bigger picture here: the powers that be, and that includes the DOS, B.C. Parks and the RCMP, need to address this issue with more enthusiasm. Warning signage about leaving valuables in vehicles and leaving vehicles unsecured is sparse to non-existent in some of the local provincial parks. Shannon Falls passes muster with numerous theft advisories throughout the parking area. The Stawamus Chief has one easily missed sign, posted at the entrance to the top lot. Over at Alice Lake, auto crime warnings are nowhere to be found.
We have been informed the RCMP will increase patrols at the Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls parking lots and explore the installation of video surveillance. Both of those approaches are a step in the right direction. Another suggestion is the placement of bait cars, a strategy that cut auto theft dramatically on the Lower Mainland. Enlisting the services of community policing volunteers who patrol the parking lots and leave advisory notes on vehicle windshields should also be considered. With the peak tourist season upon us, whatever measures are taken need to be put into place without further delay.
