Ask an Expert 

Question: If I get stopped by the OPP and have left my driver's license at home, do I have to pay the fine or can I produce it the next day?

Answer: That would depend on provincial legislation and Ontario Provincial Police policies and procedures. We can only speak for British Columbia so we recommend that you contact the Ontario Provincial Police. Their website is: http://www.opp.ca/english.htm and their e-mail enquiry form is at: http://www.opp.ca/opp_000693.html

Question: My friend is a small business owner who operates a clothing and shoe store in a small B.C. town. She is wondering what her rights are when dealing with a shoplifter or suspected shoplifter who is still in the store. Can she detain a customer or search their bags/person? How much evidence does she need to suspect/accuse someone of shoplifting? Is a missing piece of merchandise enough evidence or does the act of shoplifting or the intent to shoplift have to be witnessed? Does the age of the shoplifter determine how she can deal with the situation (young offender vs. adult offender)? Do her rights change if the shoplifter has left the store? In this case is her only choice to call the police?

Answer: The best course of action would be for you to visit your local community policing station to discuss the issue of shoplifting with them.

Question: Will you please pass the following "Threatening" letter on to the appropriate ivestigative team?
************************
Attn: ****, First of all i want let you know that i am an international killer which i have my boys all over the world and also want to let you know that it is your torn to die if you don't follow my instruction.

I felt very sorry and bad for you, that your life is going to end like this if you don't comply. I was paid to eliminate you and I have to do it within 10 days.

Someone you call your friend wants you dead by all means, and the person have spent a lot of money on this, the person also came to us and told us that he wants you dead and he provided us your names, photograph and other necessary information we needed about you. If you are in doubt with this I will send you your name and where you are residing in my next mail.

Meanwhile, I have sent my boys to track you down and they have carried out the necessary investigation needed for the operation, but I ordered them to stop for a while and not to strike immediately because I just felt something good and sympathetic about you.. I decided to contact you first and know why somebody will want you dead by all means. Right now my men are monitoring you, their eyes are on you, and even the place you think is safer for you to hide might not be.

Now do you want to LIVE OR DIE? It is up to you. Get back to me now if you are ready to enter deal with me, I mean life trade, who knows, and I might just spear your life, $5,000 is all you need to spend. You will first of all pay $2,000 then I will send the tape of the person that want you dead to you and when the tape gets to you, you will pay the remaining $3,000.
If you are not ready for my help, then I will have no choice but to carry on the assignment after all I have already being paid before now.

Warning: do not think of contacting the police or even tell anyone because I will extend it to any member of your family since you are aware that somebody that want you dead know you too well and some members of your family as well.

For your own good I will advise you not to go out once is 7pm until I make out time to see you and give you the tape of my discussion with the person who want you dead then you can use it to take any legal action. Good luck as I await your reply to this .

Answer: This is a hoax or scam e-mail and is a variation of one that has been circulating on the Internet for several years. Please refer to Snopes at http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/hitman.asp where you will find an analysis and commentary.

Question: My parking spot in my Condo is way too small. I can barely park in the spot, let alone have room to get out of my car. Does Vancouver, BC have any minimum size reguulations for parking stalls in condos? And how can I find out what they are?

Answer: As your question is not related to crime prevention we are unable to advise you beyond suggesting that you contact Tony Gioventu, Executive Director of the Condominium Home Owners Association at 604-584-2462 Ext.1 or tony@choa.bc.ca

Question: A Mercedes sports car parked adjacent to my parking stall in a Vancouver condo is driven frequently and has an Ontario license plate which expired in Nov 2005. I feel as if I should be reporting
this scofflaw to some authority but know not whom. Any suggestions?


Answer: We suggest that you contact your local police department but it would be preferable to wait until you see the vehicle being driven. Once stopped by police on a highway the driver will be compelled to produce all relevant documentation and it is during this process that a ticket can be issued for operating a vehicle without valid licence plates. If the vehicle is parked and unoccupied on the street it is still ticketable for being unlicensed. You could also write a letter to the police department providing a vehicle description (licence plate, make/type of vehicle, colour, etc) and parking location so that they can make enquiries to determine the registered owner and take any enforcement action they deem appropriate.

Question: Good Day ! Has anyone else ever had problems with lies given by "Imperial Majesty Cruise Vacations" out of Ft. Lauderdale Florida. They solicited or business over the phone. Our problems became worse when shortly after paying about 100$ for an extension in time required to book a "free cruise for two adults" (which initially cost about 800$ a year earlier, and included the ability to extend booking time..) suddenly became "a second ticket Required" for the same so called free cruise.
$ 1300.00 of travel vouchers" was also a book of about 500 silly little things like a free pop with two paid meals, -but that's another issue. I know... If it sounds too good to be true..
I just wish there was a forum for writing about companies like this.

Answer: Was this a company based in Florida? If so then under Florida law you may cancel with a full refund as long as you do it within 30 days. You should immediately contact the company which sold you this and cancel in writing -- via e-mail, letter etc. Contact your credit card company and tell them about the appropriate Florida law. Here is a link to the law -- http://tinyurl.com/b6mbes

Check out section 559.933 Vacation certificate cancellation and refund
provisions

You should also contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services, tell them that you are trying to cancel within the appropriate time period
and they can help you get a full refund.

Check this website http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/ then click on how to file a complaint, then sellers of travel

Or try this: http://www.800helpfla.com/travel_text.html

Finally, if you are looking for a forum in which you can discuss this
company, here is a website in which you can do so: http://tinyurl.com/abc68d

For BCCPA news release click here

Question: My wife and I own our own business and last year we got sucked in to signing up with a group called Online Stores.... against my gut feeling we ended up agreeing to buy the deluxe web package for $6000.00 and have monthly payments for 231.00 to pay for it. It seemed that as soon as they had us signed up the story changed somewhat, sure they did contact us to "help us develope our online store" but as soon as they became aware that we did not have a credit card with lots of room on it, they did not want to talk to us anymore. It was about 4 months of not hearing from them at all and then a week ago we got the call and again once it became know that we did not have the room on our card the guy lost interest in us. My question is this: Are these guys legit?? Do we have any recourse to get out of this process or are we stuck with paying the full 6 grand??

Answer: As this company is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania; here is the report you should file a complaint with that Better Business Bureau which you can do
online: https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx

Question: I have heard that it's okay to leave a copy of your car registration in the car, in case it gets broken into.  And that if you get stopped by the police, you have 24 hrs to produce an original.  Is this true?

Answer: One needs to produce vehicle license and insurance documents on demand of a peace officer. If you fail to do so, you commit an offence. There is no grace period involved unless the officer chooses to offer you one. (The same goes for your driver's license as well.)

It is actually not a good idea to keep vehicle documents in the car because the thief is able to produce them if they are stopped driving your stolen vehicle. It also allows them to name you and say that this is my friend's vehicle and they loaned it to me. If you keep them in your wallet or purse this option is no longer available.

Vehicle license documents are one of the few that you could produce a photocopy of legally. This means that you could store the original in your files at home and keep photocopies in your possession to produce. Lose the photocopy and you just need to make another!

For more traffic law information, visit www.drivesmartbc.ca.

Question: I work for a non-profit store-front type agency that sometimes deals with people in crisis. We also sometimes have people come in off the street. Some of these people have mental health issues or are agitated or upset. We would like to know if there are any training programs or workshops that would help our staff deal safely and helpfully with these people. We are concerned especially with our reception area staff (usually me, or a volunteer) I have some experience in this area from previous work, but some of our other staff don't. We don't have a lot of money for workshops, and we are located on Vancouver Island. Could you give us any suggestions?

Answer: Many of the issues surrounding the mentally ill and their behaviour when they enter retail premises or any office, are similar to those relative to robbery and general violence in the workplace.  WorkSafe BC - http://www.worksafebc.com/ -   has some excellent resources in this area, such as " Preventing Violence, Robbery and Theft: A Guide for Retail Owners, Managers and Workers” This publication is a joint effort of WorkSafeBC, Retail BC and the Ministry of Small Business and Revenue.   As a non-profit agency the prime concern is safety of staff and we recommend that you contact WorkSafeBC to find out if they offer or can recommend training that would be appropriate for you.

The Canadian Mental Health Association - http://www.cmha.bc.ca/    lists a workshop called “De-escalating Potentially Violent Situations”  - see http://www.cmha.bc.ca/enews/enewsjan09.htm#course9

Question: I 'm looking to buy a bicycle over the internet and wonder how I can search the serial number to confirm that it is not stolen.

Answer: You are right to be concerned about the risk of buying a stolen item and the need to conduct due diligence to protect yourself from that risk.

Here are some recommendations about where to go to check out serial numbers of bicycles:

• The Canadian Police Information Centre  - C.P.I.C. – is the prime source for querying stolen property.   The website is at  http://www.cpic-cipc.ca/English/search.cfm  The search page for bicycle serial numbers is at - http://www.cpic-cipc.ca/English/searchForm.cfm?sType=Bicycles&Submit=Begin+Search
  
  
• Check the Stolen Bicycle Registry.  It is USA based but contains a growing number of Canadian entries. The website is http://www.stolenbicycleregistry.com/index.php   Click on the SEARCH link.
  

If as a result of your search you find out that the bicycle is stolen, you should contact your local police department to advise them of your findings so that they can take appropriate action.

Question: Do you have any statistics that show the percentage of shrinkage (product loss) caused by employee theft in BC within the warehousing industry?


Answer: The BC Crime Prevention Association does not compile these types of statistics but you may be able to find this information by contacting the Retail Council of Canada www.retailcouncil.org or Retail BC www.retailbc.org

Also, a Google search provided this information from Cisco-Eagle:

http://www.cisco-eagle.com/mh-tips-newsletter/2004/May04/cargo-theft-prevention.htm

Question: Who runs a Citizens Crime Watch program, is it the RCMP or the City or Township? I know that a city or township pays in to the funding of the program but are they in charge? If the RCMP run and over see the volunteer programs. What rool does the City or townshipe have with the programs? I was told that the BCCPA and the RCMP run the program and train the volunteers.

Answer: Some groups operate as individual societies while others operate under direct supervision by the
llocal police department. Please check the BC Citizen Patrol Network Program website for further
information. http://www.bccpa.org/bccpn/index.htm

Question: When video cameras are installed around an apartment building, are there any statistics that show that vandalism is decreased? Insurance companies do not offer any reduction in premium, so I wonder about the effectiveness

Answer: The company selling the video cameras may or may not compile these types of statistics. This would be a question that should be asked prior to purchasing CCV equipment.

Question: I have recently agreed to become a Mystery Shopper by answering an ad in the Abbotsford News paper. I have heard now that there are scams occuring with Mystery Shoppers...

Answer: click here

Question: As one layer for deterrence, is there a significant difference between 7 ml and 12 ml security film if properly installed?

Answer: click here

Question: After losing $2000.00 to a scam, I went to report this to RCMP here in Richmond. I have not heard yet from anyone ......

Answer: click here

Question: I live in a mid size apartment block. We have lockers in the basement behind a locked door in our parking garage. Our Strata has recently put our apartmen......

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Question: Do you have any stats pn crime in gated communities vs. general crime?

Answer: click here

Question:  I received an e-mail today that says Telus is about to make my cellphone number available to telemarketers. How can they do this?..........

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Question:  This is not the usual renovation scam, it is worse. My single, elderly aunt in Vancouver is being manipulated by a renovation contractor......

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Question:  I have recently made a $500 deposit towards the purchase of a used vehicle. But since then and before the purchase, I have discovered that there was odometer tampering with the car (an illegal offence).......

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Question:  Is there a cost involved in changing an existing society's constitution and/or bylaws? The Hope Crime Prevention Society will soon hold it's Annual General Meeting....

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Question: Recently, there was an article about a discounted Bahamas/Florida cruise at a discounted price, stating that it.......

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Question:: My former neighbour admitted after longer time (when I was complaining to her that I was harassed in my workplace......

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Question: I am trying to find somewhere where I can take CPTED training in the Vancouver area.  Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

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Question: Hi I was just wondering what I can do to keep homeless or otherwise out of my recycling bins? Can the people be arrested or charge with trespassing  on private property?........

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Question: What Can I Do to Make Sure I Do Not Lose Title to My Property Through Fraud?

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Question: A huge % of our Fed/Prov crime budgets is drug related including courts and jails. Yet almost daily, grow-ops surface in our neighborhoods.....

Answer: click here

Question: My son and common-law recently split. they have settled  everything, house and cash,(all official on Aug.06/08) but there is a  problem regarding his truck. He has the truck loan in his name but the
 insurance is still in both. She has the truck and is the moment postponing returning it.
 Who's truck is it?

Answer: click here

Question: I discovered that my 10yr old daughter has been receiving text messages on her cell phone and they’re really insulting. The messages say that she is fat, a loser, and that nobody wants to be her friend. I don’t know who is sending them. She is very upset about this and it is affecting her to the point that some days she doesn’t want to go to school. What can I do to stop them?

Answer: click here

Question: Can someone please help me?!? My husband and I purchased a second hand pool through the kijiji online classifieds. The lady we purchased........

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Question: We contracted with a company who advertised with the BBB to do roof restoration, saving consumers up to 70%.  Because our roof was 20 years old it was still in relatively good shape except for a persistent........

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Question: I was the victim of a 4600 US funds scam regarding a mustang – I reported it to the better business bureau and all the other places I was supposed to.  Do I qualify for victim assistance - I am a 55 and that was my life savings. Also I have come across the same scam again and want to know if I can help to catch these people? Please help me out here.

Answer: click here

Question: Recently I was contacted by a person claiming to represent a company out of Vancouver and I want to know about him before I do business with him.  I can't get any answers out of him and the company isn't registered in Vancouver. Can someone assist me in checking this out?

Answer: click here

Question: I am certain that I am a victim of a fraud/theft.  I was scammed out a great deal of money ($60,000+) from a man living in Richmond, BC and his partner who resides in Blaine, Washington who convinced me to invest in their company and that I would get my money back within 60 days. It has been 2 years now and I have not been paid back my money. I have researched the BCSC and found information on both persons as people who were disciplined in 1997/98.  What is the best course of action for me?  I am now living in Alberta.  Should I contact a lawyer and the authorities in British Columbia or report this fraud/theft through channels in Alberta.

Answer: click here

Question: Do you have any information on how to be prevented from being
hacked, as well as information on telephone abuse.

Answer: click here

Question: I am the secretary of Strata Council at the Tamaron, *****.
We suspect that one of our units is involved in dealing marijuana and possibly growing it as well because of the suspicious "skunk" smell coming from most of the in-suite laundry machines.  Can you advise us of our next course of action, as we have no idea where to take it from here.  Our last Strata Council was close to non-existent and ineffective; we have just formed as of a month ago and would greatly appreciate any direction/resources available to us.

Answer: click here

Question: As a recent victim of credit card fraud, I would like to know what the absolute best ways to protect your credit card information is?

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Question: I'm a witness to threats of violence and I don't know what to do.  It's not a crime to report, at least not that I know of, but I don't want to.......

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Question: My spouse works in a Japanese restaurant which has encountered several 'dine and dash' customers.  They are always teenagers.  It is very frustrating for the employees working in the restaurant.......

Answer: click here

Question: Do you know what this is about?
Canadian Lottery (Lotto lore)

Dear Winner,

We are delighted to inform you that your EMAIL ADDRESS Account has won you 1,850,000.OO USD  from the Canadian Lotto Lore program held in London UK and Ontario Canada.......

Question: Last year my family bought a small multi-unit rental apartment in the Metrotown area of Burnaby. Everything was okay until one of our new tenants reported that his next door neighbor may be a drug user. The suspect looks nice, the suite is clean, but somehow, once a while, it smells like marijuana outside his suite door.

How can we deal with this? Myself, I don’t even don't know what marijuana looks and smells like. Can we evict the tenant for this reason? Or is there any way to stop him or ask him not to do this in the suite? The worst case is he's selling or buying drugs in our building. But I think we need to have solid evidence, not just a report from another tenant, right?

Answer: click here

Question: I want to open up my own private policing business. I have done security for a couple years now and have worked as an LPO(loss prevention officer) in some of the worst parts of Vancouver such as downtown 7-Elevens.

Could you please tell me where I can find out more information about this and how to get a license for it?

Answer: click here

Question: I am looking for a device / appliance or software that could have prevented societe generale
(in france) from experiencing such losses. I mean security-wise ; back-office - front office if you
have followed this case. Thank you very much.

Answer: As this major fraud occurred in France, I regret that we are unable to assist you as we can only offer advice about crime occurring in Canada, and British Columbia in particular.

Question: Hello, I am a practicum student with the APD Crime Analyst. I am currently working on a prolific offenders project. I am trying to gather as much information as I can on current prolific offender programs.
I am going to include an international section in the paper as well as a section on initiatives in British Columbia. I know of a few projects in Surrey, Vancouver and Kelowna. However, I do not have much information on the projects or know of any others. I was hoping that you could provide me with some information on current projects, useful links or contacts. I appreciate your time and look forward to your response. Thank you. - Tracy

Answer: click here

Question: I am the executor for my uncle’s estate and he has some serious health issues.  I know he has several credit cards and bank accounts.   I have heard horror stories about identity thieves stealing information about dead people and obtaining all kinds of credit in the deceased person’s name and I want to know what I should do to ensure that this type of thing does not happen to any of my older family members.   Henry Z. Vancouver, BC

Answer: click here

Question: Hello!  Wondering if anyone over there is able to provide me with some links or suggestions for remaining safe and anonymous in our online dealings.  I am looking for some suggestions in order to come-up with a cyber safety plan for women fleeing domestic violence. Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks!
Dawn

Answer: click here

Question: I have heard of members going too far in their investigations including one case of video
surveillance inside the suspects home with line of site into her bedroom! (granted honest attempts were made to turn camera off if suspect was undressing or engaging in intimate activity- all recordings in error were immediately erased)

Q: Could this be considered a violation of the BC Privacy Act?.
Q: If so, would this not be considered an even greater "wrong" than that
committed by an individual smoking marijuanna in her bedroom?   
Q: Are members aware of a citizens right to privacy, and the societel reasons why this right has been held so sacred by society/courts for hundereds of years?

Answer: click here

Question: My friends and I were wondering if you could limit the purchase and possession of firearm only to law enforcement and licensed hunters of game in specific locations. It doesn't make sense for any other persons to possess any firearm, because there should be no need for them to use it.  Guns only have one purpose and that is to kill. We believe this will greatly cut crime rates in Vancouver, for, as you may already know, the deadliest crimes almost always involve guns. By taking the gun factor out, Vancouver police will have a much easier time catching the bad guys and innocent civilians have less fear that they could be unintended victims. - Chris and friends

Answer: click here

Question: One of our tenants has noticed her second set of keys missing from her dresser. 
She is not sure when exactly, but she does remember it was there and now missing. 
As well, a bag of small gifts disappeared from her apt.  On top of this, last summer she noticed some small household staples missing, rice, soaps, etc.  She did not bring it up because she did not want to bother.  We have an on site Residential Manager and at times a relief Res Man who have keys to all the apts.  What, if anything, can we do to stop this from happening again, or to find the culprit . - Roxanne

Answer: click here