WATCH: The latest hotbed of crime in Vancouver: Granville Island. Elaine Yong has more on the story.
When Tamara Komuniecki took her online Delish General Store to a real bricks-and-mortar location on Granville Island one year ago, she never expected petty theft would be such a huge problem.
“I had a camera system put in a couple of months ago…because we were tired of things going missing,” said Komuniecki.
But that hasn’t made much of a dent in crime. Yesterday afternoon, cameras may have captured the image of the person who stole a laptop computer right from the cash desk with several other customers in the store.
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The Vancouver Police Department says it has seen a spike in thefts on Granville Island this summer. In addition to retailers, tourists have been targeted and several bikes have been stolen too.
“As there are larger crowds, then the thieves tend to blend in,” said VPD spokesperson Randy Fincham. “They’re less noticeable and they’re taking advantage of the distractions and other people in the area to steal things that are left available.”
The thefts are frustrating for retailers, who say it is difficult to catch the perpetrators and time-consuming to keep calling police. Komuniecki says it’s also taken a financial toll on her small business.
“We are a true mom-and-pop shop,” she said. “I have no backing behind me…It’s going to take me a long time to make that kind of money to replace that computer.”
-With files from Elaine Yong
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