Be vigilant, not a vigilante

He parked his late-model pickup outside a large grocery store next to a fast food drive-thru and shopped for 20 minutes. He returned to find thieves had broken into his truck by accessing the driver’s-side key entry. The vehicle wasn’t stolen and minimum damage was done while they rummaged around.

The point of the break-in? None of the parking lot citizens or fast food customers called police. And it had to be obvious to all that a crime was in progress.

What would you have done? Let’s hope you’d be a responsible citizen and call 9-1-1. You’d be observant, getting a solid description of the offenders and if they escaped prior to police arriving, you’d note their direction.

You wouldn’t interfere or peruse the fleeing felons. The RCMP is superb at catching the bad guys, as we’ve seen over and over again. Recall we wrote of the orchestrated capture last summer by the 100 Mile House Mounties? Don’t put yourself in harm’s way; let the pros do their job, and then give the Mounties a standing ovation.

Good intentions, but very, very dangerous. Again, call 911 and let the pros do their job.

For Robbery Prevention Practices program details, visit your local detachment.