Crime Bites Again...

Its Time to Stand up to Crime
Published May 22, 2008
By: Ken Herar
I am sorry to share with you that my family was victimized again of a targeted theft incident for the second time. If you recall a few short months ago my parent's vehicle was stolen from a public parking lot in Mission. The police located the vehicle six days later and it was returned to us. We had just started to put this horrible ordeal behind us until this latest intrusion, two weeks ago. Without getting into the specifics of the case, I am absolutely disappointed in what I see is a steady decline of our society over the past decades. As law-abiding citizens we have become too accepting to the fact that theft is a part of life, which is a lousy excuse for allowing it to happen in the first place. Our moral values and respect for each other are degenerating at a rapid pace and we must change this sooner than later. Stealing someone's vehicle is one issue, but when you aren't even safe in your own homes it really becomes scary. Have we entered an era of security and surveillance? I can honestly say after these two related or unrelated incidents we now have security in our cars, in our homes and everywhere else you can possibly image. All of this is a real tragedy not only for my family, but also for society because I can remember a time when you could leave your personal belongings and they would be there upon your return. Here are some crime statistics from the Greater Mission area. In the first quarter of this year, the Mission RCMP website shows from the period of January - March 2008 there have been 92 break and enter, 90 thefts from vehicles and 68 thefts of vehicles compared to 103 a year ago. Some improvements have been made, but for a small community these numbers are still outrageously high. This is definitely a concern the community needs to address immediately before the criminal element destroys Mission. The police are doing the best job with the resources they have, but as citizens we all have a responsibility in improving the condition of our community making it safer and cleaner. It will take a total community effort to address this problem before it comes knocking on your doorstep. What has been clearly demonstrated here is that some have too much time on their hands watching and preying on innocent people with busy lives. My family will move forward again, but unfortunately will never forget what has happened to us. This has altered our lives making us more aware of today's environment. One thing that has not disappeared is our love for the Mission community.
KenHerar@gmail.com