Mission – Mission RCMP that week:
Calls for service that week: 325
Proactive patrols of identified hot spots: 30
A white travel trailer was stolen from Dewdney Trunk Road near McCoombs Street – east of the Mission Landfill. The owner noticed it was missing on the morning of September 29, after it had been left parked in a vacant lot. The trailer is a Fleetwood Mallard triple axle. Anyone who has information as to the whereabouts of the trailer should call Mission RCMP, 604-826-7161, file 25-12373.
Around 1 am on October 1, the manager of a trailer park on Wilson Street was conducting nightly rounds of the park when he noticed a red van parked outside a residence in the park. Without warning, the driver of the van drove up to the manager and bear-sprayed him through an open window, then fled the area. The manager suffered irritation from the bear spray. It is unknown what led to the altercation, and anyone with more information is asked to call Mission RCMP, file 25-12474.
On the morning of October 3, police were called to a large retail store along London Avenue, after an altercation between staff and a male attempting to shoplift from the store. The offender – a 54-year-old man from Mission – attempted to leave the store with over $800 in unpaid merchandise, but was stopped by another customer and two staff members. Charges are being recommended.
Concerned citizens called police on the evening of October 3 to report that a group of males were illegally shooting firearms in the area of the Florence Lake Forest Service Road. Officers attended and located a group of 6 males associated to a black Dodge Challenger and a white SUV. The males – all aged between 20 and 25 years old, and from various communities outside of Mission – were all detained while an investigation was carried out. Two firearms were seized by police, and one of the males was issued a ticket under the Wildlife Act. Anyone wanting to shoot guns in the wilderness must first confirm that they are allowed to do so in the area they will be in.
Late at night on October 3, staff at Mission Memorial Hospital notified police that a considerable quantity of illicit drugs had been found. An officer met with staff, who confirmed that the drugs and a cell phone had been located that night in a bathroom on the main floor. The packaging and placement of the drugs indicated that they had likely been left for someone else to collect, however they have since been seized by police. If you later attended the hospital and the package you were expecting was not there, you are welcome to file a lost-property report with Mission RCMP.
Two drivers were caught for excessive speeding that week. On the afternoon of September 30, a black KTM motorcycle sped past an officer in an unmarked vehicle on the north end of the Mission Bridge. A laser-radar reading showed the rider was travelling at 145 km/hr in the 80 km/hr zone. The 21-year-old male rider from Abbotsford received a ticket and had his bike impounded for 7 days. The very next day, an officer was on Lougheed Highway just east of Silverdale, when he noticed two white cars travelling toward him at a radar-verified 120 km/hr in the 80 km/hr zone. Just as the officer was about to pull over those cars, a black Acura passed the white cars, and was determined to be travelling at 135 km/hr. The 23-year-old male driver of the Acura also received a ticket and a 7-day impound.
Mission RCMP responded to ten reports of shoplifting that week. Among the items stolen were liquor, meat, clothing and cosmetics. Staff who witness a shoplifting are encouraged to immediately call police to provide a description and last-known direction of the offender. Physical confrontations by staff to try to stop an offender or recover stolen property are not recommended, as there is always the chance that an offender will resort to violence or the use of a weapon to try to get away. If a detailed description of the offender is quickly provided to police, officers may already be familiar with the offender, and may be able to locate them still in possession of the stolen property. Good CCTV footage can also be useful in identifying someone after-the-fact, in order to support criminal charges, and to assist staff in proactively recognizing a known offender if they try to enter the store again in the future. Having good CCTV footage is beneficial, but it’s equally important that someone on shift is able to actually access the footage in a timely manner. Otherwise, officers often have to wait several days until a manager returns to work to download the footage, which makes trying to identify and locate a suspect much more difficult.
