By Terri Theodore, The Associated Press
Vancouver, Canada (CP) -- Vehicle theft and break-ins across British Columbia are rising and Vancouver is considered the bank robbery capital of Canada, suggest some alarming statistics presented Wednesday at a forum on crime solutions.
A board of trade report indicates Greater Vancouver is No. 1 per-capita for property crime in Canada and the United States.
These increasing problems are eventually going to force the public to become more involved in finding solutions to rising crime, said Vancouver police Chief Jamie Graham.
Graham predicted that people who don’t protect themselves from crime may one day be refused insurance coverage.
“After you’ve been broken into three or four times or your car’s been stolen twice I think the light should go on that maybe you need an alarm in your car or a club on your vehicle,” said Graham.
Increasing literacy rates, doing a better job protecting children and keeping kids away from violent video games will also prevent crime, said the chief.
The forum heard that car theft in B.C. is growing at an alarming rate.
Nick Geer, the head of the Insurance Corp. of B.C. said auto theft has reached an alarming rate in the province.
The number of vehicles in the province has increased about 20 per cent over the last decade but auto theft has doubled.
Vancouver-area theft has dropped slightly, but increased dramatically elsewhere in B.C.
“We’re seeing a doubling of car thefts in Kelowna,” said Geer. “We’re seeing significant increases in Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Prince George and other areas.
“Why this is happening we’re not really sure but we believe the gangs that are involved are reaching out into other areas.”
Insurance coverage for vehicle theft and break-ins cost $163 million in 2002, which amounts to about $60 extra for every vehicle insured.
Vancouver also has the dubious distinction of being the bank robbery capital of Canada, said Paul Griffin, a spokesman for the Canadian Bankers Association.
On average, there is at least one bank robbery every business day in Vancouver, or 237 holdups last year.
Vancouver has five times more bank robberies than Montreal and double the number of Toronto, he said.
He is concerned about the increasingly dangerous tactics used by robbers.
“We are seeing quite a significant increase in the takeover style of robberies, where robbers come into a bank, groups of them, armed and displaying weapons,” he said.
“In some cases they use battering rams to smash doors down open. They wave guns in the air and shoot into the ceiling and point guns at customers and employees.”
In November, the board said property crime in Vancouver costs $128 million a year, but police are only able to close 8.7 per cent of all reported theft files.
The report’s 14 recommendations include more police resources, a tougher justice system and better drug treatment for addicts.