A Prince George man had is all-terrain vehicle stolen, so he bought it back from the thieves. It was a rare and dangerous act, police cautioned, and anyone thinking of trying the same ploy should think twice.
When goods are stolen locally, the thieves "fence" the items a number of ways, most often to a crackshack in payment for drug debts, said police.
However, one local victim tracked his all-terrain vehicle to one of these sources and was able to buy it back at black market price.
"I had my side-by-side [a two-passenger quad] stolen from my yard, but I have some friends who are kind of connected to the nasty side of life so I started asking a lot of questions," said the rural Prince George resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. "I was eventually told who stole it and I was told who was holding it. I contacted [the fence] and bought it back for $2,500 which was the price they paid the thief for it."
The incident was never reported to police. The fence was a known commercial enterprise in the community that does legitimate business on one hand, but criminal transactions out the back door.
The anonymous witness refused to divulge any identities, but wanted to enlighten the public about what happens to high-end stolen items like his.
"If the owner has that kind of information, we would be in just as good a position to go in and recover that item, and maybe a lot of others besides," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. "And then you aren't also contributing to organized crime. Paying that money gave them exactly what they were after. They made money off that deal."
Douglass also expressed worry that this victim volunteered for a lot of personal danger by carrying out this transaction in such a vulnerable way.
"This is organized property crime and dealing with the people involved in this could be dangerous, even if you're buying back your own items," Douglass said.
"You never know how they are going to behave towards you even if things seem OK at the start. Victims often have anger involved, or other emotions. The perpetrators have things to hide, and they are dealing in criminal terms all the time so who knows what their everyday behaviours are.
"Words could be said, unpredictable things could happen, there are all kinds of ways that kind of transaction could go wrong for you. And the fact is, this is just a piece of equipment that can be replaced. Violence you can't get back."
Most people don't have underworld connections, Douglass said, so situations like this one are few.
Theft victims often scour the pawn shops for their stolen property but success is less likely at those stores since greater accountability measures were put in place to impede thieves doing business with the city's discount retailers.
Most times, stolen goods are recovered as a result of the public calling in suspicious activities, or the police locating a grouping of items after a crime is detected, like following a car thief, or raiding a drug operation.
The connection is direct between the gang-dominated drug industry and the everyday property crime (break-ins at homes, stolen vehicles, purse snatchings, etc.) done throughout the city, said Douglass. Property crime is the fundraiser for the most desperate of the city's drug users.
