Kamloops mayor Ken Christian said on Friday that businesses impacted by the pandemic are now being targeted by criminals (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

PROPERTY CRIME INCREASE

Kamloops seeing more property crime as thieves target businesses impacted by COVID-19

May 1, 2020 | 3:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Businesses in Kamloops that are struggling with the reality of closures and reduced hours are now facing another struggle amid COVID-19 — an increase in property crime.

With many businesses closed down due to the pandemic, the streets of Kamloops have been bare. It’s created an environment for criminals to target empty buildings.

“These are businesses that have either closed or the degree of interaction with the business and customers is way down, and so that’s why they’re being targeted,” said Mayor Ken Christian.

In his media address on Friday, Christian said there has been an uptick in property crime across the city — 73 files in the last six weeks compared to 33 in the same period in 2019. Christian says the recent break-ins are ‘crimes of opportunities’ during a crisis.

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“I was asking Syd Lecky, our (RCMP) superintendent, about that and our population here, but there is a population now that realizes that it’s very difficult to get apprehended and charged with the current situation within our court system,” noted Christian.

Red Wing Shoes on Victoria Street is one local business that was hit with a break-in two weeks ago.

“Middle of the night, a gentleman needed some work boots and caused a fair amount of damage to doors, door knobs to get in, got his work boots and out the door he went,” described owner Ryan Gentile.

Since the break-in, Gentile has ramped up security measures at his store.

“It gives us a little bit of a wake-up call to access our security needs,” he said. “We did make some fine-tuning changes to the back door and to the alley door. But again, I don’t know if it was related to the time.”

It’s exactly the advice mayor Christian offered up on Friday in light of the increase in crime.

“I’m very concerned and I want to put that message out there to those businesses that while we have a full watch in terms of the RCMP, we can’t be everywhere,” said Christian. “So you have to take the initiative yourselves to increase the kind of security, both alarm systems as well as surveillance system.”