Stolen goods lifted from a Kits custom ski boot store may have ended up in the Downtown Eastside.
The incident was publicized on Twitter earlier this week, which suggested that the stolen goods were tracked but that police couldn’t do anything about it.
We connected with Ari Goosen, the manager from Surefoot on West 4th in Kits, the location that was stolen from. Goosen expressed frustration with the BC justice system. However, he also confirmed that certain stolen items, like iPads, could be tracked.
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Vancouver Police confirmed the theft with Daily Hive, saying Surefoot’s doors were pried open, and a suspect gained access. As a result, ski equipment and electronic items were taken, valued at around $10,000. The file remains under investigation.
Goosen told Daily Hive he had a conversation with the VPD following the incident. He told us that VPD’s hands were tied because of the law and public sentiments about policing.
“Currently, I know where my stolen items are, and the police can’t do a thing about it.”
A thief broke into a kits business at 7 am Monday morning. Took multiple computer devices with trackers. Alerted @vancouverPD went to building & was denied access by building management Osborne Shelter Group/PHS Society to recover their stolen items without a warrant! 🤬 pic.twitter.com/N4yuvTt2xV
— @SaveOurCityVan (@saveourcityvan) February 21, 2023
As the tweet from @SaveOurCityVan alludes, the goods were allegedly located inside a shelter on West Hastings Street.
“The management of the property would not allow police in,” Goosen said.
He said police are just as frustrated about the situation as he is.
“The VPD I have been working with are truly some great hardworking individuals that are trying to make chicken salad with the chicken s**t they are given,” he said.
He also feels that police are unfairly demonized in the city.
It’s a basic legal practice to require a warrant for searching a property linked to a crime, but in a case like this, Goosen seems to think it might not be worth the potential public scrutiny, which VPD has faced plenty of in the past couple of years.
VPD didn’t confirm or deny the other details shared by the Goosen.
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