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Thieves harvest from 11 unlocked cars in Oak bay

Looting unlocked cars called ‘farming,’ says deputy chief
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Smoke hung low near the Oak Bay police and fire departments on Sept. 17 and officers warned drivers to be wary on the roads. (Oak Bay Police Department/Twitter)

Oak Bay Police fielded an odd complaint of a man intentionally coughing on residents last week.

On Thursday, an individual on a bike was reported to be purposefully and aggressively coughing on people while they were passing through Bowker Creek Park, Deputy Chief Mark Fisher said.

“Police received a good description of the male but were unable to locate him. Police are considering a possible suspect and will further investigate the matter.”

Last week in Oak Bay, the police department took reports of 11 thefts from unlocked vehicles.

“The actual count is likely higher as many of these opportunistic thefts are not reported,” Fisher said.

“I learned a while ago from a less than reputable source who referred to his activity of stealing from unlocked vehicles as ‘farming’ cars,” Fisher added. “Remember to close the farm gate and leave the dog in the yard.”

Last week officers executed an outstanding West Shore RCMP warrant on a woman residing in Oak Bay and intercepted her on her way home.

When she was advised of the warrant and placed under arrest she became non-compliant.

“Officers struggled to take the woman into custody in order to deal with the judicial order,” Fisher said.

READ ALSO: Vandal spray-paints ‘kill cops’ in Oak Bay

On Tuesday one of Oak Bay’s new officers responded to a complaint of vehicles “fish-tailing” or swerving on the wet pavement on Cadboro Bay Road.

The officer, after parking and waiting some time, saw a convoy of about 10 vehicles travelling southbound on Cadboro Bay Road and followed, Fisher said.

He observed an Infinity G35 stop at a stop sign. After leaving the stop he watched and listened as the vehicle’s engine revved up significantly and the driver caused the back end of his vehicle to spin out sideways before continuing and straightening out. The officer pulled the driver over, ticketed them and impounded the vehicle for seven days.

Police also pulled over an apparent intoxicated driver speeding on Foul Bay Road early on Sunday. Police issued the driver a 90-day driving prohibition and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

READ MORE: Oak Bay Police seek suspect who broke into Liquor Plus on Cadboro Bay Road

A bike was reported stolen sometime overnight on Thursday. The bike has a serial number engraved on it.

“Police have noted that on occasions a potential bike thief will ride into Oak Bay on a lesser model bike while looking to upgrade,” Fisher said. “Don’t be the victim of a crummy trade. Remember to keep your bike secured with a good lock.”

Even heavier cable locks are easily defeated by thieves that carry bolt cutters, he added.

On Friday, a resident may have interrupted a bootlegging dropoff.

Oak Bay Police received a complaint from a resident who had observed someone in a vehicle who stopped by a nearby property and deposited a case of beer in the shrubs.

The property owner who did not lay claim to the beer. The attending officer seized the case of beer and it will be held at the police department for a time before being destroyed.

“It is possible that the beer was bootlegged for minors who were too slow on the retrieval,” Fisher said.

Speeding drivers continue to haunt Oak Bay.

Last week was no different with an area identified as a problem area.

“Police have responded to noted areas in the past and at times found vehicle speeds to be within posted speed limits,” Fisher said.

Oak Bay roads are often narrow with vehicles parked on both sides of the street. It makes a vehicle travelling at 50 km/hr appear to be travelling much faster.

“A strong argument can be made that such a vehicle is driving too fast for road conditions and can therefore still be ticketed for speeding,” Fisher said.

This includes vehicles driven by residents themselves because they feel very familiar with the road, Fisher added.

reporter@oakbaynews.com


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