Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: marmot on October 28, 2005, 09:39:12 AM
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Was fishing thursday around noon in lower vedder, came back at 2 to find car had been broken into. Heres the thing...I left the glovebox open , changetray open, so people could see there was nothing in there...i had a cooler in the back, which i also left open. The scum just rifled through everything and stole some homemade christmas cards that my sister in law made!! WHY? Thats about as low as scum can go if you ask me. Another gent driving a white late model domestic was hit too, all the dirtbag took from him was change. Now its gonna cost $300 to get the f****** door fixed. I think if i see him next time i'll give him the equivalent in dental work. Im 90% sure hes a blonde scruffy guy on a nice mountain bike. I saw him last time casing cars out there too.
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OH ya and the water clarity and level was PERFECT! No fish though, i didnt stick around long enough :(
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lower vedder - where were you parked? yarrow side? in parking lot?
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Wednesday morning, around 8, I was parking my truck in the Lickman lot. Red Dakota pick-up. with 3 guys, about 20 years old, hanging around, one eating a chocolate bar. No fishing gear. There were a couple of pairs of roller blades in the bed of the truck. They kept looking around, walking back and forth to the dyke. I asked them if they're fishing today. No. I made a point to walking behind their truck, note their licence # and then went back to my truck and picked up my cell phone. The Dakota went screeming out of the parking lot, almost running down a lady. Coincidence? or a prelude to a break-in? I don't know.
If you experienced a break-in on that day, anywhere on the Vedder, pm me because I have their licence #.
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marmot, yes please specify where you car was parked, so we can pass this information onto the RCMP who we work with for future reference. Nostro, did you pass that licence plate # to the RCMP too?
Sorry to hear about a good fishing day being spoiled.
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Rodney,
No I didn't. There was nothing to report except 3 guys hanging around the parking lot and eating a chocolate bar.
If you know of something more specifically crime related, please let me know and I will report.
The point being, from my perspective, is keep your eyes open out there. A fisherman in heat is easy to spot and track. Let's look out for each other and hopefully stifle some of these crimes.
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Suspicious activity... no crime required.
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Same thing happend to my uncle linus... dont no the description of the guy tho
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Two years ago - Oct 31, 2003, my car was broken into on the Yarrow side. Yep - I know the feeling. They took a backpack that had virtually nothing of value. A couple of days later, I got an e-mail from a woman who found my bag in some bushes. I guess I had a piece of paper with my e-mail address in the bag. So that was nice. And bye the way - I did file a police report with the Chilliwack RCMP.
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Put a sign on your window(s) reading " I can see you A**hole " - we do this at work , but we just put a sign on certain doors sayin " you are being recorded on video survalince " . Just the thouhgt that they may be being watched is SOmetimes enough .
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Last year I was fishing the upper vedder. I came back to the truck to find the door lock torn out. This year I’m driving a new truck. I am reluctant to leave it while fishing. Are we going to stop fishing because of the scumbags that are going to break in to our trucks? I understand your frustration Marmot! >:( >:(
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I see some people leave their deutch hound in their car. :D
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I heard from fishing friends that they are avoiding fishing in Chilliwack and just stay safe with other rivers. Not worth risking $300 detuctable per incident to fish there any more. By the way, coho fishing is dirt this year, so why bother with the Vedder. :-[
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Man if I ever see anyone breaking into my vehicle all I can say is my laser sharps will go right through their two OMEEGOS. >:(
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Wow, hearing about all these breakins is really sad. And the other thing that is disturbing is that they are happening during broad daylight. I can't blame people if they are now going to take their fishing business elsewhere. I know the police in
Chilliwack are stretched thin but you would think patrols could be increased in the areas along the river. Contrast this to when I used to do quite a bit of fishing in the Calgary on the Bow River. And because you could fish well into the evening some nights it would be like 10:30 pm when I would get back to my vehicle. Not once was my vehicle ever broken into, and never heard of any of my fishing buddiies vehicles being broken into either. The only major difference I can think of is that in some areas of Calgary the police patrols are more vigilant, and also some areas of the Bow River are patrolled by Park Rangers.
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Though it wont make a difference, I was parked near the confluence of the vedder and the sumas..i think thats what it is.. off of yale Rd (west?) near the pumphouse past the sawmill. Not really a secret spot. Its such a drag, I dont think im going to fish that area at all anymore, I did everything possible besides leave my door open to avoid having some jerk break in. It really doesnt make a difference if the police know or not, they are powerless to do anything about it. Even if they catch the idiots who do it, they wont be sent to jail, and there are more jerks waiting to take their place when theyre gone. Its a byproduct of living near junkies, period. You just have to fish somewhere that they arent able to access, i guess. Today I fished browne lake with my dad, left the truck and camper unlocked ( since the moose and deer we saw cant open doors anyways :D) Also caught six nice rainbows, biggest one was about 18". Tomorrow, White Lake near salmon arm ....kinda takes the sting out of the breakin experience.
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Dragon have you caught any sea gulls lately? LOL. I was there last year when you caught that one at wilson rd.
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Neighbours Van was stolen last sunday upstream from KWB on the dike. my spare flyrod and shoes where also in the van too, rod was couvered up. found the van in whalley lisence plates where gone along with the insurance papers >:(
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Chances are these guys dont fish.... That means they probably dont go on this web site either... so here is my idea....
One day designate it to be the FWR crime prevention week.... Bring your gear and binoculars.... We all get out of our cars and walk like we are going to fish.... Stop go behind a tree... Watch the vehicles .. If you find them..... well you can decide what to do with them...
;)
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One day designate it to be the FWR crime prevention week....
Any crime prevention activities are to be sanctioned and conducted under RCMP's supervision, not by a commercial website like this.
marmot, report it. The Chilliwack RCMP does recognize a growing problem of auto crime along the Vedder River. Talks will take place with interest groups and the wheels will start moving. The Chilliwack RCMP can only get a good overview of the problem if people file their reports when these incidents take place.
This is a problem that requires the cooperation of all interest groups and the authority. The angling group should not stand alone and let things be or take actions on their own.
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I spoke with the police when my truck got broken into laidlaw... the response i got was contact ICBC.....
That sounds like the furthest from the motto of To Serve and Protect...
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So a report wasn't filed by the dispatcher?
On a positive note, these reports on here are usually forwarded to those who are in charge in the area.
The website does work closely with local RCMP and DFO offices. You are making a difference.
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I didnt speak with a dispatcher... Oddly enought i got pulled over on the way home in Burnaby because a cop pulled up to me and saw my door lock punched out..
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I had my vehicle broken into on the vedder a few years ago and have never been back. Fishing there is just not worth the cost.
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To reinforce what Rodney has said, and it has been said many times before on this site, report any incident or even suspicious activity or characters hanging around by phoning the RCMP at 792-4611 and asking for "Dispatch." That way the incident at least becomes a statistic. A group of us local old people are going to sit down and discuss this growing problem and attempt to find a solution. If we all cooperate and look after each other this "little problem" can be solved.
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It takes two seconds for me to report it to the RCMP and thats the amount of attention they will give it in response. I used to be optimistic about this type of thing, but when your home has been broken into at least three times, and your auto at least a dozen, you learn what makes a difference and what doesnt.
In reality :
1. The police do not have the manpower to patrol the vedder for auto breakins.
2. None of these dirtbags will receive a sentence long enough to stop the problem from happening even if they are caught.
3. Drug addicts steal from cars, and steal cars, parked in close proximity to the RCMP/ICBC offices on 5th and cambie. A coworkers truck was stolen from there, and broken glass is on the ground at least once every couple of weeks. Police in that area dont seem to make a difference.
4. Nobody cares unless it happens to them, and as long as people keep leaving crap in their cars its gonna keep happening, because it sets a precedent for the criminals.
I dont think the RCMP can do anything about stopping theft unless our government realizes our current policies for dealing with drugs and crime in general is a joke. Its far deeper than just that.
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1. Even if the police have the manpower it's the attitude some of them take that will never improve the safety.
A few years back we had a break in at home. Police came, our key holder ask the police aren't they going to check inside.
Guess what those two policemen said? "No we won't, what if they are armed and still hiding inside?"
That really steamed our keyholder. So you being the police won't check out the house, if there is armed robber you want the
home owner to come home and get hurt?!? Well those two just struggd and took off.
When we got home our keyholder told us this incident in disbelieve. Himself, a retired captain, couldn't believe how the new
generation police has degraded. It makes him sick to know some of those policemen is just there for the salary.
2. Robbery is not a serious offense in the eyes of the court. Even caught, not much punishment is handed out. So why waste the
time to catch them?
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Totally agree! Even with those bait cars, when people get caught, barely anything happens to them and i'm sure they continue to do it. .and learn from their "mistakes" next time they will know its a bait car
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marmot, if that was the same vision people used to tackle the garbage problem on the Vedder three years ago, the river cleanup coalition would never have been formed, the river adoption program wouldn't exist, and the river would still be just as dirty if not dirtier.
Let's look at the options here:
- Put our hands in the air and give up simply because the laws won't do anything. Stop fishing the Vedder River or fish it less in the future.
- Report every single crimes in, brainstorm ideas, work with local authority and pressure the City of Chilliwack so those who in charge can appreciate the negative impacts on this issue. MAYBE then solutions can be developed to make things better gradually.
We're not asking people to perform magic here. We're telling you to phone in, file a report, but don't expect the car break-in issue to be resolved overnight because of that. With your help from this end, Terry and others will work from the other end by developing solutions with the City to see an eventual end of this.
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Rodney I think your appraisal of the situation is askew. A river clean up operation is one thing...there is a visible, tangible problem and a readily available solution, with existing means for dealing with that solution.
We DO NOT have the means for dealing with the existing problem, all we have are quick fix solutions from our justice system, which dont work. Nevermind that the problem itself is drug abuse and the measures that junkies will go to get some change for a fix...(which is beyond the scope of "brainstorming with the municipality and RCMP".... Im NOT advocating "throw your hands in the air", I'm simply saying that notifying the RCMP wont do a damn thing.
I cant remember who posted it, but the best solution I have seen yet would be to organize a park'n'ride, where a shuttle would take you to the river for a charge, and you could securely park your car. If the city would subsidize it, it could be a lucrative operation during fishing season for the operator, and people would not need to worry about the security of their cars. Again this has nothing to do with RCMP involvement.
If you want to see what RCMP involvement does in cases like this , you can look to french beach on vancovuer island, or any other "high breakin area....they just put up a sign....basically..."if you park here, lock your doors"...and even THAT is stupid because then instead of them opening your door they either smash your window or break your lock....Beaurocracy at its best!
You shouldnt compare the two problems Rodney, its really apples and oranges....we're dealing with something much more dynamic and less manageable than trash here. I know the intention is good, beleive me, but I beleive there are better solutions than those derived from our legal system.
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"there is a visible, tangible problem and a readily available solution, with existing means for dealing with that solution."
Not quite. If anything, the solutions were not available, and took three years to get to where we are today, and new problems always emerge. The river garbage problem falls into two categories. One is created by daily users who leave small portions of trash around such as beers cans and plastic bags. The main problem that we have had to tackle, is the criminal garbage. Criminal garbage usually involves a huge dumping on the riverside, usually performed at night. The large dumping usually comes from illegal grow-ops, industrial waste, large disgarded household appliances. One day the river is clean, next day... a huge mountain of garbage sits right in front of you. There were no existing means to tackle this growing problem. It took years of planning between local anglers, The City of Chilliwack, Fraser Valley Regional District, RCMP, DFO to get where we are today. If trash was so manageable, we would be fishing a lot more instead of sitting through meetings and digging our brains to figure out what to do.
The river dumpings and break-ins/theft are closely related, what took place on October 15th (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=8515.0) is a prime example.
I think you're missing what I am suggesting here. I don't expect the RCMP to get out there and chase down every single thief when the crime is reported. There are more serious crimes that usually sit higher up on their list. By phoning and reporting the crime, it becomes a statistic. These become numbers that we can use to emphasize the need to create solutions for the problem. If no one phones in, how does the City, RCMP know the severity of the riverside break-ins? How do you expect the City to accept your proposal of park n ride if they believe the break-ins are not taking place that often?
Problems like this take the cooperation of every sector. It may take time, but if all are determined to stick around, we will get there.
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Well I have to fall in agreement with Rod that we all have to try and do our bit to see if we can improve the situation. Hopefully over a reasonable period of time this problem can be brought under control. But we cannot just shrug our shoulders and do nothing. Personally I think it is a bunch of small time crooks who have found a pretty easy deal by breaking into cars. However, if we do nothing, who is to say the problem won't get to the point where fisherman will be getting mugged and robbed on their way to do some fishing.
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Its not "small time crooks"...theyre leaving the expensive stuff that they cant get rid of in 10 seconds....they are JUNKIES!! Thats why the change drawers are empty and EVERYTHING is scattered around the car frantically. This is why I say the problem cant be tackled until we have a much grander policy shift...we're not dealing with normal human behavior, we're dealing with desperation and our system has yet to address it effectively ANYWHERE. You think the RCMP and VPD dont know about the extent of crime that happens in the downtown eastside? Has it improved? NO. It keeps getting worse. They could set up a camera at the vedder and see all the crime happening firsthand and still do nothing to stifle it...why do i say this ? BECAUSE IT HAPPENS DOWNTOWN ALREADY. When youre dealing with junkies its a whole different ballgame. They dont care if they get caught as long as they can get a fix before they do...and they dont do any time. The same guys get picked up again and again and again and again.
Also, the police know the vedder is a bad breakin area already...the entire chilliwack fishing area has been bad for YEARS!
Rodney, if anglers expressed an interest in a park'n'ride, you wouldnt need RCMP involvement to get it going...all the municipality has to see is a potential profit and they would be all over it...if not profitable, well thats a different story...
Its not a "throw your hands in the air" approach im advocating...in fact, I think that just contacting the RCMP about it is about as "throw your hands in the air" as it can get. Leave the problem up to an institution that has proven time and time again that it is incapable of dealing with this sort of thing? No thanks, Id rather try to come up with solutions using different venues. You can contact the RCMP and file your report, go fishing there again, and get your car broken into again and again waiting for change, OR , you can use your own head and try to think of something along with like minded individuals with similar interests that will affect change now. Up to you!
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If it is crackheads doing all this crap, lock em up for 2 years with a prison that actually has no drugs in it!! That keeps them out of the system and doing all the stealing and damage to support their habbit, then it will also give them 2 years to get drug free. Let them have all the counselers they need and give them structure and education. I guess you can call it tough love..
The Vancouver East side is full of crackheads because the system is so soft it enables them to do so. Fill the prisons up with them and their dealers and get them off the damn street. Then again you can just open up the prison doors to any crackhead and tell them as long as they are in for good, they get free drugs, that would also keep them off the street and satisy the pacifists.
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Whoa ! Whoa ! Whoa! This topic is starting to heat up and it's not going anywhere.As I said before the situation was not getting any better and the reality of the problem has a much greater impact on those who have been victimized.That's when one's whole outlook on the situation changes very rapidly.
That's also very easy to say it especially from a guy who had been advocating the ultimate solution and got some heat from it. Sad to say that Chilliwack has been unofficially tagged as the pot growing capital of Canada as well as some other criminal activities.Locking up all these crackheads and other lowlife crooks will bring all of us to financial disaster to build an inordinate number of additional prisons.Note that many pot growers that get caught don't go to jail and get away with a pittance of a fine as a way of doing business.Not to mention the growing menace of crystal meth and other forms of drug abuse.
Part of the solution is to promote better ways to increase awareness and alertness by the general public through Block Watch, Grow Watch, Fish Watch, etc,these become the eyes and ears to assist law enforcement and act as deterrents to reduce crime.
Reply #3 (Nostro) demonstrates a good example of spotting suspicious behaviour and recording the description of potential offenders/vehicles. They took off in a hurry due to the fear of being caught..It is amazing how so many folks can be so blind or unwary that so many of these petty thefts can occur in broad daylight right under their noses.
Reply #25 (Terry B.) Good stuff and I wish you much success in your endeavours and gain the support from the local community through the commercial/retail, police,media,City Hall, tourism, MP Strahl, sporting, and other sectors. We also need more of the 3 M's.... Money, Men, Motivation.
There is the need to raise some funds to support additional volunteer work and the expenses incurred. As an idea perhaps a "Reclaim our Recreational areas" type lottery sold through tackle shops, etc. and more advertising to promote the great fishing and recreational experience in the Fraser Valley.
Yesterday I saw a group of about 15 yellow-jacket police bike squad riding single file on a training run along Promontory/Vedder Rd. Would be nice to see more of these bike cops showing their presence at the popular fishing locations.
Re Reply #19 (Rodney). Is it possible to introduce a Crime Map into your FWR site something like...
http://onlineathens.com/news/police/crimemap.shtml
This will help the fishing and recreational fraternity to gain some awareness of the problem spots along the Chilliwack/Vedder. This map will also provide the database and also be used for some kind of periodic comparison of seasonal occurrences and whether there are any improvements shown through prevention measures taken.
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Re Reply #19 (Rodney). Is it possible to introduce a Crime Map into your FWR site something like...
http://onlineathens.com/news/police/crimemap.shtml
This will help the fishing and recreational fraternity to gain some awareness of the problem spots along the Chilliwack/Vedder. This map will also provide the database and also be used for some kind of periodic comparison of seasonal occurrences and whether there are any improvements shown through prevention measures taken.
If the information becomes available and the RCMP, the City or FVRD wishes to have it broadcasted, I would be happy to add it into our news section (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fishy_news/index.html) of the website. This year DFO and FWR have done just that by keeping our readers as informed as possible.
For example:
Information on adipose clipped Cultus Lake sockeye salmon (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fishy_news/050720.html)
Capilano weirs information (http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fishy_news/050713-1.html)
This website does not have the tool or power to publish what you suggested, but it is a good medium for local authorities to help the anglers to gain some awareness on related issues.
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We have a date, November 9th to meet with The City of Chilliwack, RCMP and the Regional District to discuss this and other items.
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well i sincerely hope that something comes from that meeting that brings about a positive change.
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well i sincerely hope that something comes from that meeting that brings about a positive change.
Remember we are just a group of volunteers doing our best. I truly feel as Rodney has stated on this thread things have improved the last three years since the CVRCC was formed. I imagine most that have posted on this thread that are in the immediate area to the Vedder have attended some of our cleanups and helped to make things better out on the river as well.
The breakins is a problem that has a way to go before it improves like the garbage problem has. I feel it is better to be meeting than not meeting at all as most will agree the positive is we have the opportunity and avenue to dialogue with the authorities.
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Just curious if the break-ins are mostly targeted towards fishermen parking along the river. Don't the locals get hit too parking around homes, shops, and parks. If so, why is there no public pressure for the city of Chilliwack or Sardis to do anything? How about getting the media involved to report on mounting crimes along the river? That should get somebody in the city government paying attention.
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There are a lot more things any city could do to add security to vulnerable areas such as favourite fishing parking spots. As residents and visitors to these areas, be it along the Vedder/Chilliwack system, the Frase River, Chehalis or whatever. These all experience petty crimes during prime fishing seasons. The pressure should be applied to the appropriate governing body for that area. Residents and visitors alike deserve a certain amount of security to self and property. As a group, board members from sites such as this have a united voice and we should exercise it.
But, as individuals, we all can do a lot ourselves. We can, individually, contact the "City" and the security forces and demand action. But, even that is not enough. We all owe it to ourselves and others around us, wherever we are, to keep our eyes open, stay alert and get involved. Would be criminals are very alert of their environment. They pick up on your vibes very quickly if you become aware of them and show it. You may not catch them in the commission of a crime, but you may have prevented a crime from being committed at that spot at that time.
Not all crimes are committed by "crackheads". It gives comfort, I know, if we can label things. But, that doesn't solve the problem. Being involved and being alert helps, but does not always prevent crimes either.
Example: 2 days ago, on Sunday, I'm driving towards the Peach parking lot. I pass 2 very clean looking teen-agers, not at all "crackhead" in appearance. But, as I pass, their behaviour changes. They stopped walking on the sidewalk as soon as I passed, stood against the mail boxes adjacent to the sidewalk. I look into my rearview mirror and each has a door open to a minivan. I pull into a parking spot in the lot and look back along Peach Road. These 2 guys are now walking coolly in the middle of the road, away from the minivan, going north. Now that's funny! Why would they do that? I quickly pull out of the lot and race towards these 2. They see me coming, hop the fence into the DND field and run. The whole thing took less than 1 minute. I went back to the minivan and looked through the window. The car has been searched, it's obvious. I called the RCMP. It took them less then 1 minute to open 2 doors and search this vehicle. Incredible! Did I prevent a crime from happenning? Obviously not! I felt really bad because I should have gone with my initial gut feeling and stopped and backed up instead of continuing to the lot because I was in a rush to get to a favourite hole.
Lesson learned, again. I must keep my eyes open, stay alert and get involved.
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Its pretty easy to tell when a crackhead has been through your car as opposed to a "regular" theif, if there is such a thing anymore.