With all the great shops, restaurants and entertainment, downtown Vernon is a hot spot of activity. Unfortunately, it is also a hot spot for crime.
It seems the city can’t go a week without another vehicle window being smashed and items stolen.
Residents and tourists trying to enjoy all the city has to offer can no longer leave their vehicles downtown without the high likelihood it will be broken into.
A local vehicle repair shop told the Morning Star that they sometimes have two claims a week to repair damaged windows, doors and more.
“We’ve probably had 20 of them since the summer,” the shop spokesperson said, noting that even though insurance covers the damage there is usually a minimum deductible of $300 the owner has to pay, plus the loss of items and not to mention the inconvenience and personal invasion.
And they tend to come in groups. “They usually come in twos and sometimes threes.”
It’s not news, the break-ins have been ongoing, but are we just becoming complacent to it?
Even local authorities appear at a loss of what to do.
“There’s no spike in thefts, vehicle thefts and mischief have been an issue for quite some time in Vernon (like most other cities),” Vernon North Okanagan RCMP media relations officer Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy said.
But they are doing what they can.
“We are investigating.”
The only thing that appears to deter theft is proactive measures.
“We would like to remind everyone to make sure you don’t leave valuables in your vehicle,” Noseworthy said.
Meanwhile, some people are using other tactics to avoid the costly inconvenience of smashed windows by simply leaving their cars unlocked.
We aren’t sure that’s the best advice, but we can understand the logic.
READ MORE: Vernon slides to No. 25 in magazine’s most dangerous cities list
READ MORE: Second quarter police report shows assault, theft on the rise in Vernon
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