Victoria, B.C. salon and spa owners warned about rising level of crime, theft in downtown

Victoria, B.C., salon owner Tressa Yanchuk said she was shocked to come to work one mid-September morning and discover she had been broken into.

The Kharma Salon owner said the lock had been chiseled and thieves had taken computers, money and equipment and even a DSLR camera.

“I still don’t understand why they decided to hit up hair salons or why it’s been hair salons… but I think it’s good that we’re coming together as a community,” she told Global News Tuesday.

Yanchuk’s is not the only salon that has been a target for thieves recently.

Victoria police officers have started reaching out to salons and spas after seeing a series of break-and-enters targeting these businesses downtown.

Police said the first known report in the series occurred on Aug. 31, with a break-and-enter that damaged the front door lock of a salon in the 700-block of Bay Street.

The thieves stole some money, police said.

Since that incident, officers with the Victoria Analysis and Intelligence Section have identified eight incidents across downtown Victoria, mainly targeting hair salons and spas with similar methods of entry and similar items stolen.

They said the suspects are prying and/or spinning deadbolt cylinders on businesses’ front doors to gain access.

More than $10,000 in losses have been reported, police added.

“The level of violence we’re seeing on our streets is second to none,” Victoria Police Chief Del Manak said.

In the last year, he said they have seen violent crime trending in the wrong direction. They are seeing an increase in stranger attacks, violent crimes and break-and-enters.

“Spas and salons are being targeted, mainly for money and so we are actually trying to be proactive and let the owners and the managers and the staff know that if they are running a salon or a spa, here are some preventative things you can do,” Manak said.

He added this includes locking up computers, iPads and money and making sure nothing of value can be seen through the windows.

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Manak added they also need to look at consequences for criminal activity, especially for prolific offenders.

“That just emboldens criminals,” he said. “If the consequences aren’t there and there aren’t strong deterrents from the courts (they) can just continue to re-offend.”

Manak did a walkabout with police officers last Thursday and saw what officers on the front lines are dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

“They were quite vocal that the situation on the streets are quite dire,” Manak said.

“The other thing the officers were flagging for me was the mental illness and the lack of care. So many people are caught up, not just in cycles of abuse, but they are caught up in severe mental illness and they’ve lost the ability to self-regulate.”

Following the death of Const. Shaelyn Yang in Burnaby last week, Manak said they are reevaluating officer-involved calls and checks.

He said the current protocol involving bylaw officers is sending two Victoria police officers to calls so that they can help keep the situation calm and everyone safe.

He added they are now examining whether two officers are enough, how they should approach someone living in a tent in a park and how to avoid escalating the situation.

“These are complex issues that we’re dealing with,” he said. “There’s no easy solution but I think what we need to start with is we need to just admit that what we are currently doing, is not working.”

For Yanchuk, she said they haven’t been hit again but they are now more prepared.

She said they now have a better security system and are more vigilant about how they lock up at the end of the night and what tools they take home with them.