Crime is usually associated with being a big city problem. When one thinks of the ugly underbelly of criminal behaviour, it is not usually linked to a small city like Powell River.
While crime is a serious problem in any community, no matter what the size, we have to be cautious that incidents such as last week’s drug bust and reports of indecent exposure and potential child abduction do not throw us into full panic mode.
As news of six locals getting arrested in connection with a drug raid last Monday at the Marine Inn began to spread, it wasn’t long after reports came in that children in Townsite were the victims of indecent exposure by one individual and potential child abduction by another. Both suspects are still at large.
When crime affects a community, there are two natural responses: fear and anger.
Rather than expressing fear by saying a road in and out of Powell River opens us up to more crime, as some have suggested, or letting anger get the best of us by calling for vigilante justice against the perpetrators, as others have hinted, perhaps this kind of news is an opportunity for us to band together and do the right thing.
We could start by reaching out to those new to our community and making sure they are aware of the ground rules. Realistic expectations on what type of behaviour is acceptable is something residents should reinforce in a positive and helpful way. If we see something that goes against code, we need to speak up and take action.
The blame game is easy to play on “outsiders,” but the fact is all six who were arrested at the Marine Inn were local, and we do not yet know if the two incidents in Townsite were the result of “stranger danger.”
This image of someone coming from out of town, committing a crime and then jumping on the next ferry is, for the most part, a myth that feeds the “us or them” mentality.
As Powell River RCMP are busy investigating crimes, let them do their job the best that they can. We can aid police by sharing any information that might be helpful, as well as keeping an eye out for our neighbours, and on our neighbourhoods. Like it or not, crime has always been part of Powell River and it is often locally based.
The less our community focuses on fear and anger, the stronger we can be at minimizing crime.
Jason Schreurs, publisher/editor
