Business owners in Oliver’s industrial park are fed up with crime taking a frequent toll on their livelihoods, and they want the Town of Oliver to step up and do something to help make the community safer. Shown from left are Luke Sidhu and Richard Simmons Jr. from Rapid Industries, Dennis Munckhof from Munckhof Manufacturing, and John Hofman from Integra Tire. Photo by Lyonel Doherty
More than 30 businesses in Oliver are standing up and saying enough is enough; it’s time to do something about crime in the industrial park area.
On Monday local businessman Dennis Munckhof made a presentation to Oliver Town council seeking help to curb a “noticeable increase” in thefts and vandalism.
“Efforts made by business owners including investments in lock ups, security systems, fencing and even guard animals have proven to have limited effect as these thieves and vandals become more and more brazen in their pursuits,” Munckhof said.
“Compounding these issues is the apparent lack of security and policing available to business owners to combat these people who are attacking our livelihoods.”
Munckhof said apathy toward police effectiveness has resulted in reduced reporting of incidents, which in turn reduces crime statistics and the perceived need for policing.
“We are not able to staff our properties 24 hours a day. At night when everyone goes home, our businesses are left vulnerable.”
Munckhof presented council with a petition calling for the Town to take action against this plague of crime.
“We are small business owners and our business park supports the town, both economically and as an employment base for many families . . we hope we can expect your support in dealing with this serious issue.”
Munckhof outlined a number of ways that council can help, including:
– Increase RCMP presence in town
– Provide more street lighting around Pine, Fir, Spruce, and Maple Avenue, as well as Hemlock and Sawmill Road. (It is well documented that lit areas are less susceptible to crime and make it easier to spot criminals.)
– Address issues along the international hike and bike path that runs parallel to the industrial park. Munckhof said the trail is a “corridor of crime” at night, offering unmonitored access into the back end of businesses and an easy escape route.
– Make arrangements for third party security to make patrols during periods of peak criminal activity. “A couple of strategically timed circuits a night can make a significant difference.”
– Have more Oliver Crime Watch volunteers patrol the industrial park.
Ron Johnson, representing the organization, said they patrol the industrial park at least four times during a shift. “We haven’t noticed anything suspicious in the last six months.”
The group has 22 members but only 11 or 12 are medically able to patrol for the four-hour period.
“Age creeps up on us all. We could do more if we had more younger members.”
To join call 250-498-4364.
Craig Roth from Nulton Irrigation said he’d like to see occasional night patrols by the RCMP, without the criminals knowing when and where to expect them.
Victor Dos Santos, irrigation manager at Growers Supply, said crime in the industrial park has been “horrible” the past two years. “Everyone is pretty frustrated.”
Dos Santos said Growers Supply has had various items stolen, such as ladders, posts and batteries.
He noted that some thieves cut through their property to gain access to a neighbour’s property.
Growers Supply spent about $10,000 in fencing to secure their equipment, but Dos Santos said it’s hard to address the problem when you have a “whole system failure” going on in the courts.
“Part of the problem is the court system. They let them (criminals) out the next day. These people have no jobs, so they go back to doing what they know (stealing).”
He noted the solution is stopping the demand for stolen goods.
Clinton Peterman, owner of South Okanagan Deck & Rail, is still peeved about having one truck stolen and another truck picked clean of its tools recently.
He noted the business has security cameras and locks on the gates, but thieves tend to circumvent these measures. He agreed there is only so much you can do.
Does one have to stand guard all night to protect his property?
“If we don’t do something, we’re going to keep getting hit and our insurance will go up.”
Peterman said the solution might be for businesses to chip in for additional security in the industrial park.
Local businessman Bill Ross said Town council is always talking about attracting new business to town and creating employment, “but how do we do that when thefts and vandalism go unchecked?”
Ross said industrial park businesses pay the highest taxes in town and are the last to get snowplowed in the winter and the last to get mowed in the summer.
John Hofman from Integra Tire pays nearly $10,000 a year in taxes and has spent thousand of dollars on barbed wire, locked gates, cameras, dogs, alarms and a watchman.
“If I catch them (thieves) inside the building, they’re not going to walk out of there,” he said during a meeting at Munckhof Manufacturing.
Dennis said if businesses are required to pay all this extra money on security, the Town should be reciprocating in kind.
He said there’s a joke going around that Oliver is a “town without cops.”
He noted that when someone cuts out all of the copper wire from one of their tractors, leaving it useless, the police just shrug their shoulders because it’s only 50 cents worth of wire.
Luke Sidhu from Rapid Industries said you “can’t even leave dead batteries out (because people will steal them).”
Hofman admitted that his beefed up security measures have made a big difference, noting his guard dog is the best defence against crime.
Ross reiterated that it shouldn’t be up to businesses to eradicate the crime problem, it should be up to the Town to provide a safe environment.
At Monday’s council meeting, Mayor Ron Hovanes said he would forward the petition to MLA Linda Larson and the RCMP, and ask Town staff to look at the lighting issue. But Hovanes said people can’t expect the RCMP to safeguard their belongings, noting they have to do things to make themselves less of a victim, such as installing GPS trackers on their all-terrain vehicles.
Water councillor Rick Machial said the public can no longer accept the “excuse” that there are no police around at night. He strongly suggested that the RCMP reschedule their shifts to have a night patrol when the criminals are out in force.
“It’s easier to give speeding tickets to honest people . . . people are fed up. We should be telling the cops to reschedule.”
Hovanes said not many communities in BC have 24-hour police service.
Councillor Jack Bennest said the justice system is broken, but he suggested council look at budgeting for extra security and making it available to areas that need it.
By Lyonel Doherty
