CAMERAS EYED FOR DOWNTOWN SECURITY

Installing security cameras downtown is one of the bold new
crime-fighting ideas under discussion by a group of merchants who
have joined with municipal and police officials to tackle the growing problem.

Gerald Thiessen, owner of the Wellington Avenue store Hobbies 4U was
one of a handful of downtown merchants who attended last week's
meeting between the mayor, RCMP and members of the Downtown
Chilliwack Business Improvement Association.

The meeting was called after several merchants on Wellington Avenue
and Mill Street reported increased instances of vandalism and
break-ins in recent months.

"I see this as a positive step and I think the first meeting was a
productive one," Thiessen says. "It felt like our concerns were being
heard and nobody was bashing each other."

Thiessen says his storefront shop was broken into twice since November.

"The building is alarmed but they smashed the front door by throwing
a brick through it and stole several items," he recounts. "Both times
the store was hit, it cost me out of pocket."

He says he likes the new idea of mounting security cameras in
strategic locations and then being able to review video after a crime
is committed.

Any potential privacy issues arising from having security cameras in
public would be far outweighed by the feeling of increased security
they offer residents and merchants, he argues. Committee members are
researching the introduction of cameras as crime-fighting tools in
other communities.

"On the topic of privacy intrusion, what happens to my privacy when
my store is broken into?" Thiessen adds.

Mayor Clint Hames says this type of meeting, either with local
residents or business owners, is occurring in several Chilliwack
neighbourhoods that have been plagued by property crimes of all sorts.

"We define key issues and work together," he offers. "We've started a
dialogue with the merchants now and have made a commitment to
continue meeting. That's how things get resolved."

The atmosphere at last week's meeting was one of mutual respect and
featured a marked absence of finger-pointing, Hames says. "I think
they got a real appreciation of the city, BIA and RCMP perspectives,"
the mayor adds.

One of the suggestions was enhancing the role of the downtown
security commissionaires who operate out of the community policing
office on Young Road. It was their bicycles that were stolen when the
policing office was broken into on the weekend.

The mayor says in general he's become increasingly frustrated by
"slumlords who are catering to the drug culture."

Whether it's illegal suites turned into drug dens, or service
stations selling crack pipes, the community "is not all on the same
page" when it comes to reducing drug-fuelled crime, he says.

"It's so frustrating at the end of the day to find businesses who are
openly selling this crap (drug paraphernalia)," he adds. "I think the
community has to say at a certain point, 'We've had enough.' Saying
'no' to the drug culture in our city, that's how we'll reclaim the community."

Thiessen admits he's a little concerned about the crime-riddled image
the downtown area has to fight against, but he's eager to see a new
crime prevention message go out to the people of Chilliwack nonetheless.

"I don't want people thinking that crime is so bad that they won't
come here and shop. It's time we took some sort of action as a
group." Another idea he liked was the pledge from the city to clean
up the challenge of buildings and landlords housing illegal suites.

"We're going to meet again in a month. I thought that was a positive
sign because it tells me that it wasn't just a one-time meeting and
that's it," he says. "The city is obviously putting this issue in the
forefront and they're going to keep it that way."