Surrey victim takes a stand against crime

According to the latest B.C. Progress Board report, property crime rates are falling fast in this province. But I don't buy it. I think that, especially in Metro Vancouver, people are as light-fingered as ever.

They'll steal anything these days, even gravestones . . . even the brass numbers on my home.

The official statistics may show a large drop in break-ins and other thefts in recent years. But the fact is theft victims increasingly have stopped reporting these so-called petty crimes. They know there's little the police can or will do.

As for getting justice in the courts, forget it. Chronic thieves are in and out of jail so fast it makes your head spin.

And Surrey crime victim Darren Martin agrees with me that people's attitudes have changed alarmingly from the days when theft was considered a major sin. If you were caught stealing, you paid for it dearly.

Martin, 44, knows what he's talking about. In a span of six months, his family's sheet-metal business was hit by four B&Es. Someone even stole the gate of the complex where the business is located.

Then, in the summer of 2008, his own home was robbed. He had a garage-full of stuff stolen, including his keys, cellphone, wallet, tools and various radio-controlled cars.

That was when the Cloverdale father of three had his I'm-not-going-to-take-it-anymore moment.

He decided to set up a craigslist-style website for those who've had things stolen, lost or recovered. It's called itslonggone.com, and its logo features a raccoon with a magnifying glass and a Sherlock Holmes cap.

Based on the postings, Martin says the items people seem to lose most are digital cameras and cellphones. The items most commonly stolen appear to be recreational vehicles — including boats, snowmobiles, trailers and all-terrain vehicles.

"If you've got a quad and you don't have a safety lock on it and someone knows it's there, it's going to be gone," he told me.

Martin believes the tough economy has compounded the problem. Normally law-abiding citizens are resorting to theft because they're desperate to meet mortgage or other debt payments.

But he also thinks declining morals are to blame. It wasn't so long ago that people didn't need to lock their homes. "These days, if you leave your bicycle outside, even on the front porch of your house, someone will nick it," he says.

We have to take a stand against this. That is why, like me, Martin strongly disagrees with the British priest who told his congregation before Christmas that shoplifting could be justified if a person was in real need.

Thieves cause society an enormous amount of damage ... and not just to their victims. Shoplifters don't just hurt the operators of the stores they rip off; they increase the price of goods for all shoppers. Smash-and-grab car thieves raise everybody's auto insurance premiums.

The fact is thievery is wrong, period. We've just got to get back to treating it as the nasty, sneaky, antisocial crime it really is.

jferry@theprovince.com

Posted On: 2010-01-15 18:46:42

Stuff gone? check out this dot com.

Posted On: 2009-09-09 21:38:53

Darren Martin in

The Okagana valley of Kelowna in British Columbia saw a sad twist of events as the major fire that broke out in the region led to an equally disappointing act of robbery in the region. There were nearly 10 fire evacuees who reported robbery from their premises while there were out during fire evacuation by the authorities.

Even Itslonggone.com's Darren Martin, resident of the Lower Mainland, wasn’t spared of the unfortunate robbery incident. Therefore, he decided to start off his website, Itslonggone.com to help people post online for their lost and stolen goods.

The website which has been recently launches is expected to aid in the identification and tracking down of stolen goods and become a utility in the hands of the police and public at the same time.

In case, you have lost or found any item, kindly post on the site to help the robbery victims.   

Posted On: 2009-07-25 03:11:50

Welcome to itslonggone.com

 

 

A new site to let you advertise your lost/found or stolen property for free.The more people that see your post the better the chance for a quick safe return. If you have any ID numbers (vin) be sure to add them in your description.

Posted On: 2009-10-20 22:16:04