RCMP make arrests of suspects in Kamloops after ATV’s stolen from local homes last week
Residents of Anarchist Mountain will be stepping up their Community Watch program in a big way in the coming weeks after a rash of break, enter and thefts upset many people last week.
Anarchist Mountain Community Society president Mark McKenney said local residents were “fed up and on high alert watching for criminals” after a rash of thefts and attempted break-ins on the mountain over several days early last week.
There was some relief on Monday when RCMP in Kamloops reported two men had been arrested after finding two ATVs that had been stolen from Anarchist Mountain residences had been found in that city, said McKenney.
“Two ATV’s were stolen last week, as well as a steel gate damaged during an attempt to steal a side-by-side utility vehicle,” said McKenney. “There was also an attempted break in at the community hall last Thursday night, which damaged a door.”
RCMP officers in Osoyoos investigated these crimes and obviously played a significant role in helping track down the thieves who were arrested in Kamloops, he said.
“I commend the police for being able to track these guys down so soon,” he said. “The police obviously know where to go looking when property crimes like this take place as it’s pretty obvious the same cast of characters is often involved.”
This past Saturday, a community meeting was held to discuss these incidents, which was attended by 45 residents.
“There was a unified sense that we can all do more to make our community safer and that’s what’s happening,” said McKenney.
The community society will be re-doubling its ongoing efforts of its Community Watch program.
“Residents of Anarchist and Sidley Mountain have increased their local watches for suspicious activity,” he said. “Every road and street in our community has residents on the look out and ready to call police authorities when anything suspicious is seen.
“Residents are recording details of vehicles, taking photos, recording license plate numbers and writing down occupant descriptions. A variety of electronic surveillance has been deployed in multiple locations. Local patrols of our area are happening throughout daytime hours and during night times.”
If any unknown sightings are observed residents are taking action and know how to get enforcement authorities alerted in short order
“All eyes are watching on Anarchist and Sidley Mountain – so thieves beware,” he said. “We want the bad guy to know there are 150 sets of eyes looking at all suspicious activity in our area and if they decide they’re going to try and conduct criminal activity, there’s a very good chance they’re going to get caught.”
The reality is Anarchist Mountain is isolated and some criminals believe they can get away with illegal behavior because of it, said McKenney.
“We don’t want to come across as confrontational or inhospitable to others, but we have committed to talking to people who are involved in any kind of suspicious behavior,” he said. “I know in my eight years up here that I’ve taken a picture of a few license plates … and there’s little reaction if you don’t have anything to hide, but I’ve had the odd strong reaction from people I kind of think might not have been up to any good.”
The Community Watch program is all about neighbours helping neighbours and this recent rash of criminal behavior has made it obvious that increased participation is necessary, he said.
“We are all good neighbours up on the mountain and we’re just going to be looking out for each other a little more moving forward,” he said. “If there are suspicious people and suspicious activities going on, we’ll make sure that’s reported to the police as quickly as possible.
“The message we will send out is there will be 150 sets of eyes on all suspicious behavior and hopefully this will cause the bad guys to move on and go somewhere else.”
There were numerous thefts of stolen building materials and equipment on Anarchist Mountain four years ago and the Community Watch program was stepped up for several months and the problem went away, he said.
Hopefully there will be the same kind of result in the coming weeks and months with this renewed commitment from residents in the area, he said.
“We had one incident where a homeowner purchased between $30,000 and $40,000 of materials and the next morning they were gone,” he said. “We took action after that incident and we obviously feel we have to do something again. It’s too bad it takes only a few to upset so many.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
