ADDICTS BEHIND ARMED HEISTS

The three most common words that used to be heard at a gas station were
"fill it up."

Today, the three words are "stick 'em up."

Kelowna gas stations and a couple of pubs have been hit hard this month with
at least eight holdups, some of them by armed bandits, under investigation.

It may just be a passing trend because robberies for the first six months of
this year were down 15 per cent from the same period last year, 41 to 48.
But police are taking notice that if the September stats continue, we could
end the year with a huge increase in those figures.

In the last week alone, the Westbank Chevron has been held up on two
consecutive nights while the PetroCanada on Harvey Avenue was robbed on two
occasions, three days apart.

Day or night doesn't seem to matter.

"There have been a bunch of them," says CrimeStoppers' Mike Guzzi of the
crime spree. "Several may be by the same person. We'd love to know who he
is, but we don't."

Guzzi has a good video of one of the PetroCanada robbers, which has run on
TV, but without results.

It shows a man enter the store waving what appears to be a 9-mm handgun. The
attendant hands over a wad of cash and the robber strolls out the door. It's
all over in a few seconds.

"That guy looks agitated," says Guzzi. "He looks stoned. It all boils down
to drugs.

"It's a really stupid crime. Someone might get $50 or $100."

For that, the Criminal Code says using a gun in the commission of an offence
is an automatic four years, although it can get plea-bargained down.

"That's a long time in jail for that kind of money," said Guzzi.

Prison time for armed robbery in the U.S. varies by state, but a minimum of
eight years isn't unusual. Unlike Canada, many judges in the U.S. are
elected and, respecting popular opinion, tend to be tougher in sentencing
criminals.

"The longer they're not on the street, the more the crime rate goes down,"
said Guzzi.

All oil companies tell their employees to hand over the cash, cigarettes or
whatever else the robber wants. That doesn't mean they're not in danger.

"They (attendants) are afraid and there's a reason why they should be," said
Guzzi. "By far the majority of these guys (robbers) are stoned and unstable
because of it.

"They're desperate for the drugs and at the point where they can't take it
anymore. They'll do anything to get the money for the drugs and that's all
they have on their minds."

Graham Foreman at the Shell station on Richter Street and Harvey Avenue said
his business has been held up three times in the last seven years.