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Ruling too light

Protests denounce sentence dealt
in rape case. langaravoice.ca

NOV. 15, 2018 > VOL. 50 NO. 6 > VANCOUVER, B.C.

lan Fung recreates how he shone a spotlight on a burglar who was searching through the back of his neighbour's van late last month. The neighbourhood is
being praised by the VPD for being watchful over their community. P47R/ck PENNER PHOTO

Neighbours stand guard

The best residential policing can be done by residents

By PATRICK PENNER

N initiative to appre-
hend a thief by citizens
of a South Vancouver
neighbourhood is being
praised by the VPD in order to pro-
mote local Block Watch programs.

In the midst of a rainstorm on
Oct. 29, just before 3 a.m., lan Fung
heard a noise outside his house. He
had recently installed security cam-
eras and was able to view the street
through an app on his phone.

“There appeared to be someone
searching through the back door
of [my neighbours] van,” Fung
said. “So, I took my spotlight and
I flooded him.”

According to residents of 66th
Avenue and Ash Street, the area
had been plagued by property crime
recently. Fung was one of many
residents to have fortified their
households with security measures
which proved instrumental in the
suspect’s arrest.

Immediately after calling police,
Fung heard sequential alarms being
tripped as the suspect fled through

several properties and into an al-
leyway.

A police dog unit arrived within
10 minutes and dragged the han-
dler to a construction site less than
100 metres away where the suspect
was found hiding.

“There appeared
to be someone
searching through
the back door of [my
neighbours] van.”

—IAN FUNG, SOUTH VANCOUVER

“From the moment I called po-
lice [to] 45 minutes later, the cops
came, dog came, he was caught,
surveillance footage was given to
them, I gave a statement and I went
to sleep,” Fung said.

He was one of several well-pre-
pared homeowners who provided
security footage to the police.

Set. Jason Doucette, VPDs pub-

lic affairs officer, considers this inci-

dent exemplary of the community
effort encouraged through the B.C.
Block Watch Society.

“They realized that there was a bit
of an issue in the neighbourhood,
[and] they implemented crime pre-
vention techniques in their homes,”
Doucette said.

According to the VPD’s neigh-
bourhood statistics, the neighbour-
hoods of Marpole, Oakridge and
Sunset had 30 break and enter of-
fences in September 2018.

Doucette said these property
crimes are perpetrated by a very
small number of prolific offenders.

“You actually see a change in
numbers when [they're] in custody,”
he said.

Gabrielle Pelletier, vice-presi-
dent of the B.C. Block Watch Soci-
ety, says the program is more neces-
sary now than ever .

“Neighbours knowing neigh-
bours is one of the elements of
crime prevention because it raises
an awareness about your fellow
neighbour,” Pelletier said. “The
program itself is meant to bring
neighbours together.”

The percentage of city break and
enters in Marpole, Oakridge and
Sunset.

The combined number of thefts
from cars in Marpole, Oakridge and
Sunset.

The combined number of robberies
in Marpole, Oakridge and Sunset.

SOURCE: VANCOUVER.CA

LSU

gives
aid
Immigration
consultant an

added resource
for students

By NATHAN DUREC

accessible for international

students now that a new immi-
gration consultant has been hired
by the Langara Students’ Union.

Kam Kaur, the newly hired im-
migration consultant, is the first to
hold the position. The LSU now
offers international students as-
sistance with study and work per-
mits, temporary resident visas and
permanent residency applications.

In an email, Kaur wrote “inter-
national students constantly have
the added pressure to ensure their
study permit is valid, if they have
applied for work permit within the
deadline, check if the [sic] need to
restore status, and so on.”

Kaur wanted to make sure that
international students understand
that nothing is guaranteed.

“If a lawyer or immigration
consultant is guaranteeing you
success than you may want to re-
think about retaining them,” wrote
Kaur.

Andrea Bolinelli, an immigra-
tion consultant with Aurora Im-
migration in Vancouver, sees value
in having immigration services at
Langara.

“If you are doing a full-time
program of one year or more that
gives you a degree, certificate or
diploma, it might give you some
advantage in your immigration
process,” Bolinelli said.

Bolinelli said that immigra-
tion processes can be expensive.
Depending on what individuals
require, it can cost anywhere be-
tween $2,000 and $5,000 in addi-
tion to government fees.

While the LSU’s new immi-
gration consultant is a good way
for international students to have
questions answered, it is not the
only place on campus that pro-
vides aid.

In an email, Ajay Patel, vice
president of external operations at
Langara, wrote “We also provide
support, when appropriate, for
students who have been refused
study or work permits or have
complex situation to navigate.”

| mmigration services are more