Close X
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
ADVT 
National

Police Department Creates Zone For Safer Online Sales In Abbotsford, B.C.

The Canadian Press, 28 Feb, 2018 12:08 PM
    ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Meeting a stranger to complete an online deal can feel risky, even for a veteran police officer.
     
     
    Sgt. Judy Bird knows first-hand about the "sketchy" feeling that can come with buying or selling items on platforms like Craigslist, Kijiji or Facebook.
     
     
    "Even though you're not doing anything wrong, it feels weird. You're sitting in your car, waiting to meet somebody that you don't know and hoping that this transaction goes well," said Bird, spokeswoman for the Abbotsford Police Department in B.C.
     
     
    Abbotsford police are trying to make online deals less risky by turning two parking stalls in front of the department's headquarters into a space where people can meet safely.
     
     
    The area is under video surveillance and close to the station's front doors, in case safety issues arise during a deal.
     
     
    "This provides one more safe place where people can meet others to make these transactions in a safer manner," Bird said. "Most offenders will not come to the police department."
     
     
    Online forums advertising everything from smart phones to wedding decor are popular in the Fraser Valley and the vast majority of transactions are problem free, she added.
     
     
    But classified ads have led to violence in the past in B.C.
     
     
    In 2004, Marc Rozen was killed in his Vancouver apartment after he placed an ad in a local paper saying he wanted to sell an engagement ring appraised at $18,000.
     
     
    Police said the 38-year-old was murdered for the jewellery.
     
     
    A man identified by police as a gang member was convicted in 2013 of first-degree murder in Rozen's death. 
     
     
    Kijiji Canada spokesman Kent Sikstrom said a number of steps are taken to protect user safety on the sales platform, including technology that detects and removes potentially unsafe or illegal posts, and a customer service team that responds to listings flagged by users.
     
     
    The company also encourages people to meet in public places like coffee shops to complete transactions, Sikstrom added.
     
     
    "If you're going to somebody's house to pick up a couch, let's say, or something heavier that you couldn't transport to a coffee shop, we always recommend bringing a friend with you, making sure you inspect the quality of the items ... maybe even agreeing to meet at those buy and sell zones as well. These are all great options," he said.
     
     
    Sikstrom added that anyone who experiences a crime should report it to police.
     
     
    Police in Abbotsford are happy to provide a safe place for exchanges and will step in if a crime is committed, but officers can't help if an item isn't as advertised, Bird said.
     
     
    People should not bring extra cash, and remember to never share personal information like social insurance numbers or banking details, she added.
     
     
    "Though we are a very trusting community with good people, it's important for us to also look after our own safety," Bird said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Police Investigate After Trailer Full Of Beer Worth $155,000 Stolen In Delta

    Police Investigate After Trailer Full Of Beer Worth $155,000 Stolen In Delta
    Police in Delta, B.C., are investigating the theft of a trailer full of nearly 2,600 cases of Coors Light beer.

    Police Investigate After Trailer Full Of Beer Worth $155,000 Stolen In Delta

    Cambodia Arrests, Charges Two Canadian Women After 'Pornographic Dance'

    Cambodia Arrests, Charges Two Canadian Women After 'Pornographic Dance'
    PHNOM PEHN, Cambodia — Two Canadian women arrested among several foreigners in Cambodia are facing charges of producing pornographic photos during a party near the country's famed Angkor Wat temple.

    Cambodia Arrests, Charges Two Canadian Women After 'Pornographic Dance'

    Green Party Leader Elizabeth May Asks Lawyer To Investigate Bullying Claims

    OTTAWA — At the request of Elizabeth May herself, Toronto lawyer Sheila Block will investigate complaints that the leader of the federal Green party bullied and harassed some of her staff members.

    Green Party Leader Elizabeth May Asks Lawyer To Investigate Bullying Claims

    India Doesn't Need Nationalism After 70 Years Of Independence: Nayantara Sahgal

    India Doesn't Need Nationalism After 70 Years Of Independence: Nayantara Sahgal
    India doesn't need any lessons on nationalism 70 years after Independence, feels eminent writer and member of the Nehru-Gandhi family Nayantara Sahgal, dubbing the BJP's nationalism agenda a "load of rubbish".

    India Doesn't Need Nationalism After 70 Years Of Independence: Nayantara Sahgal

    Landscaper Now Facing Five Murder Charges In Case Of Missing Gay Men

    Landscaper Now Facing Five Murder Charges In Case Of Missing Gay Men
    TORONTO — Dismembered skeletal remains have been recovered from the bottom of large planter boxes at a home linked to an alleged serial killer who worked as a landscaper, Toronto police announced on Monday.

    Landscaper Now Facing Five Murder Charges In Case Of Missing Gay Men

    Change Is Needed To Encourage Women To Enter Politics, Says Justin Trudeau

    Change Is Needed To Encourage Women To Enter Politics, Says Justin Trudeau
    Trudeau told Liberal MPs that change is needed to encourage more women to enter politics.

    Change Is Needed To Encourage Women To Enter Politics, Says Justin Trudeau