Prolific Property Program Makes Another Arrest
Thursday, September 5, 2013 @ 4:00 AM
An apartment block that has been shut down this year because of increased police pressure – photos 250News
Prince George, B.C. – A 32 year old Prince George man is facing drug related charges following activity monitored during surveillance of a property Prince George RCMP have deemed a “prolific” property.
Last Friday afternoon, a General Duty Officer and the PG Detachments Operations Officer, Inspector Brad Anderson had 2053 Oak Street under surveillance.
This property was the scene of an arrest and seizure of drugs, counterfeit money and a modified rifle on August 8th. That activity resulted in a 41 year old woman being charged.
Then, on the 28th, a man was arrested leaving the residence. He is now facing drug trafficking charges.
Which brings us to the latest activity at 2053 Oak Street.
On the afternoon of Friday August 30th a vehicle suspected to be used in the trafficking of illegal drugs was pulled over as it left 2053 Oak Street.
The 32 year old driver and lone occupant was arrested and found to be in possession of cash, drug trafficking paraphernalia and what officers believe to be a quantity of the illegal stimulant methamphetamine. He was also in possession of a metal baton similar to those carried by police officers. He is now facing drug and weapons related charges.
Three arrests at the same property in less than a week, come as part of the prolific property crackdown by Prince George RCMP. It is an approach that is having an impact.
Four units at the Homeland Inn on Victoria Street were to be vacated as eviction notices have been issued in the wake of the attention focused on that property. The latest bust at the Homeland revealed some suites with black mould and poor living conditions in others. “The owner of the property has been co-operating with us” says RCMP Inspector Brad Anderson. He says the property owner, has visited the site, as well as the London Hotel which is among dozens of properties he owns or manages in Prince George.
The London Hotel was the target of two fires in less than a week. The historic building on Third Avenue had become a hot spot for illegal activity with police saying it was the scene for 150 police files in 4 and a half years.
While the London Hotel has been shut down because fire has left it uninhabitable, the Homeland will undergo some upgrades.
The apartment building shown in the photo above, is no longer available for rent following repeated visits by police.
Meantime, Bylaw Services at City Hall is examining its options to deal with prolific properties, including revoking business licences which are necessary for these properties to be rented.
The properties are part of a cycle which involves the same people being picked up and charged at the same premises time and time again. It is a cycle RCMP Inspector Brad Anderson is trying to break.
Researchers in the Netherlands did a study to see what effect things like graffiti, garbage, and signs of vandalism would have on people’s behaviour. The results show people are twice as likely to litter or steal when placed in such an environment.
So, the first job is to change the environment. 
Taking a page from the New York experience where there was zero tolerance for graffiti or derelict buildings, Anderson keeps tabs on properties that are attractive to squatters, drug users and traffickers. If he, or one of the officers at the detachment, notices boards have been removed from windows of a vacant building, bylaw services is given a call, and the building is re-secured. He has also worked with the City to see that unsightly premises are cleaned up.
The property at right used to have garbage all over the yard, there was an old fridge standing in the overgrown lawn and litter abounded. The site has been cleared, the lawn cut, the windows and doors boarded up, squatters can no longer gain access.
A recent police crack down on an Oak Street apartment block saw squatters tossing syringes out the bedroom window at the rear of the building. The syringes are still visible on the roof of a shed at the rear of the yard. ( photo at left)The City is doing its part in re-securing vacant properties and examining its options for closing the door on businesses which rent to folks who are making their living in the drug trade. The fact is, it can be tempting for a property owner to accept cash rent that is over and above the rental rate in exchange for turning a blind eye to the goings on.
Inspector Anderson says Northern Health has been extremely helpful when it comes to assisting offenders who have addiction or mental health issues. “We’ve built a relationship with Northern Health when it comes to our chronic offenders. What I need when I’m picking these people up, is how do we get them from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ in detox and have them stay more than an hour in detox. That is where Crown comes in and probation. We will ask Crown to put them on conditions that they must attend detox or counselling at the direction of probation.” Inspector Anderson says the whole chronic offender, and now prolific property program, is to “stop the revolving door piece” where the same people are picked up time and time again, or the problems are always occurring at the same addresses.
Is there a role for Northern Health to play in the prolific property crackdown? Inspector Anderson says he is talking with Northern Health to see if there are any available options, however, Northern Health has told 250News, it has no jurisdiction on the environmental health matters when it comes to dealing with issues in a private residence. So, for instance, even though there may have been black mould in some of the residences at the Homeland Inn, (or many other sites searched by police) Northern Health would have no jurisdiction to order the site closed, or call for any remedial action.
Inspector Anderson says he remains focused, and the Police pressure on properties like the Oak Street address which has lead to three arrests in less than a month, will continue. “The priority is, there are 90% great people in the VLA, they are just people trying to make it on, a lot of times, marginal incomes. I’m sick and tired of those kinds of people having to live in fear, beside drug dealers.”
He says nearly 75% of the properties considered “prolific” are owned by people who do not live in Prince George. But, Anderson says progress is being made with the property owners, that he now calls them directly to ensure they are aware of what is going on at their rental properties. Inspector Anderson says progress is being made, and at least one property owner has taken steps in cleaning up one of his rental properties, acting quickly to cover over graffiti that was on the side of buildings.(at right, terra cotta coloured paint covers the graffiti)
Inspector Anderson is determined to clean up the VLA, “I’m trying to work with the good property managers here in P.G. which, even in the last 6 to 8 months, I have seen a positive change. We are getting some rock solid people in the community who are no longer willing to put up with these (drug dealers/users) people, so we are there to back them up when they are delivering eviction notices.”
Inspector Anderson says the pressure is not about to let up anytime soon “We don’t stop on something until we get results”. He is a realist, he knows the problems will shift to another area “So if you (drug dealer) are going to go somewhere else, 1-2-3 Ahbau, we’re going to be on you at 1-2-3 Ahbau. So you have three options: you’re going to stop doing crime, we’re going to put you in jail, or you can leave town and you can be somebody else’s problem. Does that fix it in the grand scheme of things for society? No, but, it makes it better for Prince George, and I work for Prince George.”
Comments
Should be a city bylaw if you own property in the city but don’t live within 50km you pay double for property taxes. If its foreign owned triple.
Not a bad idea about the property tax rate. It’s like a user pay system. Don’t forget the RCMP is paid for by property taxes in this City. (Mail out put RCMP & Fire at 1/3 what your property taxes pay for).
I know I would have to really start thinking how many years ago I saw a cop car on our street other than to just drive by.
These landlords are costing the City money. Why should we all pay for their neglect? Make them start paying.
Pretty simple system too. Don’t have the property tax assessment delivered to a PG address. Add on the extra cost. Do some by-law enforcement to make sure people don’t get mail forwarded to a friend to go around the rules and it would be a good system.
Much better than having RCMP and City employees having to babysit drug houses……..
I am a properry owner in the city but had to leave town due to a change in career and life in general. Could not sell my property in a short time so decided to rent it out using a property manager. I do keep tabs on what is happenning to my property. You statement of doubling the property taxes on out of town landlords is VERY offensive to me. The crack down that the city and police are doing will affect the lousy out of town landlords way more then doubling there property taxes. Thankfully my tennants are very good and have had no problems with them.
I agree with DPJ. It is not only offensive, but totally stupid. Most, if not all higher rise office buildings downtown are owned by out of town people or organizations. All of the shopping centres are owned by out of town people.
That is just for starters.
The key is that someone has to take on the role of watching over the property. One can make a bylaw about that if one does not exist already.
There are agencies who take care of properties when owners are out of town for the winter or when they simply never live in the city. Some real estate businesses provide such a service.
You know, I am more worried that there are properties that are left unattended without any improvements on them. There is one I drive by each time I go downtown on 5th avenue with a for sale sign on it for years if not decades. Total wild growth on it.
This city has too many of those kind of properties or “no-man’s land” between the property line and a public road right of way with overgrown weeds.
The entire city is a prolific property and says welcome to PG, the crime capital of Canada. We do not care what we look like.
Horrible idea to double property taxes – I’m thinking about moving away and would love to keep my property as a rental, and potentially pick up a duplex here as well. I’d be one to hire an agency to handle everything and would not resort to being an absentee landlord. Doubling or triping property taxes would just ensure that no one will invest in property in our city and the real estate market could potentially crash – quite a few properties are bought to be strictly rentals. It would also raise rental rates in this town as the landlord would need to recoup that extra money somehow – potentially an extra $200/month which is huge for tenants.
I agree with Gus on this one, the city needs to be more involved somehow. Whether it be enforcing existing bylaws or creating new ones.
What a moronic idea to raise property taxes for out of town owners.
There are two issues here that need to be separated for discussion purposes.
The first is that property owners need to be accountable for the state and the use of their property.
I think all commentators have supported the concept that owners need to be accountable.
The second is the form of a lack of that accountability; i.e. fines, restitution, higher taxes, etc.
Effective measures need to be both punitive and restorative. In other words, the measure needs to effectively discourage initial and repeat offences and provide sufficient funds to fix the problem.
Unaccountable owners of property across all types of buildings continue to abuse the generosity of the system and the common taxpayer.
Until the fine fits the “crime” then this abuse will continue. When landowners are sent a bill enforcing existing bylaws then we may see a change of behaviour.
Much like the downtown parking issue, rules /laws/bylaws without enforcement are useless.
As an aside, my opinion is that most politicians don’t have the backbone to support their operations in enforcing the existing rules/laws/bylaws as they might offend a vocal portion of their voter base.
It will be interesting to see if Inspector Anderson gains continued broad base support from the other sectors for taking the initiative or if other players sit on their hands in fear of a backlash from their political masters.
The subject of absentee landlords came up just over three (3) years ago, when City Hall was going through third reading of a bylaw similar to what Surrey had adopted with great success.
Reading the comments on this 3 year old Opinion 250 news article shows Eagleone had a slightly different take on the situation back then.
blog/view/17353/1/new+bylaw+to+handle+grow+ops++moves+forward?id=140&st=6595
Inspector Anderson says âWe donât stop on something until we get resultsâ.
That is why we have such a low crime rate in this City. Cities from the entire country are flocking to PG to see how we get things done!!!!!
The police get things done.
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He knows the problems will shift to another area â….you have three options: youâre going to stop doing crime, weâre going to put you in jail, or you can leave town and you can be somebody elseâs problem.”
Three options?
1. stop doing it
2. put you in jail
3. leave town.
What kind of moronic options are those?
“hey, I caught you stealing …. stop doing that!”
“Hey I caught you stealing …. get out of town”.
And this is a police officer????
This is why people need communications experts to make sure people who ought to know better do not put their foot in their mouths when speaking.
Nice picture, btw. There is a place on the right hand side as one drives east from 5th to merge into 4th. Been there for decades. Time someone got the owners to tear it down.
Does bylaw services do anything in this town to clean the place up to at least pretend we have a little pride of place?
I agree gus. Why are these dumps that get boarded up allowed to just stay there as an attraction for squatters and the like? Tear them down at the owners cost if they are used for illegal activities. Maybe that would be some kind of deterrent but most likely not.
As usual Eagleone is an idiot.
Harm Reduction for WHO? Northern Health has a van that drives around in residential areas and waits on residential streets for customers. That is fueling the fire. I have seen them give out BOXES of SYRINGES to customers. Talk about ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, Take a walk down 20th ,there is garbage everywhere,Cigarette packs ,Cigarette butts, condoms ,SYRINGES, empty packs of condom wrappers alcohol wrappers you name it. Who is responsible for the clean up of this stuff?? School Children walk this street and so do the seniors from the seniors complex down the street.
I would like to comment on the GREAT write up this is , you tell it like it is , GOOD WORK. The news paper is boring maybe they are afraid of stepping on toes.
A friend of mine came to PG for three weeks to look into moving here to expand his business and build it up to the point he could move back to Edmonton. Said he should be up and running with approx. 6 to 8 people running it within one year. Drove around downtown, drove through VLA especially milburn and quince and up norwood beside Moss. Was disgusted. Watched as we tried to report a drug house and Police were condescending rude and did nothing. Sat at wendys and viewed nearly a dozen jaywalkers on Victoria street. He asked if I had heard the story of Rudy Julianni and the Barrio cleanup in “Operation Broken Window”. Said no. He said read it. PG obviously has no civic pride and the police obviously have no respect for PG. But Most of all, he stated the City Hall has no pride in PG! With that he left disgusted. Not going to open here!
This city has been run by business and it’s interests for too many years, and it’s starting to show. This city’s social fabric is in tatters and being the most dangerous city in Canada three years in a row demonstrates and supports this obvious fact!
Waiting for “community” minded people to get elected instead of the same old “business” mined people! Until then, just grin and bear it!
We have a friend who has a business in Vancouver and people are coming in asking where is P.G. and also he told us people would like to build office space but our City is a closed door. We have to get our civic pride back , we have to stop encouraging the wrong people to come here with all the social stuff we provide like the Needle Van, we need to take our City back and focus on growth and safety.
Needle exchange? Someone claimed the van was handing out boxes of needles. Where does the “exchange” word enter into this project? Maybe some one should take the needle exchange folks to court over false advertising and misrepresenting what they do. Exchange means “trade” to me.
Guess I’ll step up to the plate here and explain things.
The primary reason for the needle exchange program is to prevent the spread of HIV and Hepatitis. If clean needles were not provided to drug addicts, many of whom are involved in prostitution, HIV infection in PG would sky-rocket, because none of us know anyone who uses escort services in this town right?
The needle exchange program is an important HIV and Hep-C infection control measure, without which, we would probably become the AIDS Capital of Canada!
People #l Let me explain things to you. We are sick of this Van driving around bringing drug addicts into our Area do you want this in the area you live?? This is Harm reduction for who?? Take this to a spot like the City Hall parking lot to give out the needles. What exchange ,what about when they are laying on the street where Children can pick them up??Never mind the condoms laying around. Someone needs to step up to the plate with a clean up program. It’s not just about HIV and Hep-C it’s about the right thing to do for everyone ,and this plan is not a good one. Why are they giving out BOXES of needles??
Hmm… highest child poverty rate in Canada may as well add HIV Capital of Canada.
Why are you so concerned about drug addicts and needles an used condoms laying around anyway? Haven’t you heard? It’s about jobs and the economy don’t yah know…
People #l You missed it, my main concern is the children that HAVE to live around this stuff. I care do you?? What hope do they have?? You never answered me do you want this stuff where you live??
I feel for you’re and these children’s predicament bitter. But I think I will convert over to the other side and not really give two chites about a child’s environment, poverty, family addictions, HIV infections.. etc.
I care about only two things: JOBS and the ECONOMY! Wow being Liberal and Conservative really makes life more… more… “simple” and less “complex”.
The drug and related crime problems that exist almost everywhere could be solved if politicians had balls and spines. The common denominator amongst politicians is their ineffectiveness. People who are in a position to effect change and make a difference are more concerned about keeping their jobs and/or being re-elected.
They fight for position in the dining car on the gravy train. The RCMP do an admirable job despite the fact that the system almost works against their efforts.
metalman.
If BC has the highest child poverty rates in the country here is an idea, as Bangladesh seems to have a pretty lax building code and their t-shirt factories keep falling down we should take the building pictured above install some sewing machines and put these poor children to work making Joe Fresh stuff at recess and after school. In many cases it would be the first paying job in a few generations for some families.
When western Canada was being settled, the kids didn’t sit around after school playing video games, watching tv and having play dates with little Suzie down the street, they did what needed to be done. Didn’t seem to hurt them in the long run as in adulthood were part of the biggest economic expansion the country has ever seen.
As for the needle exchange, the loop is not being closed as far as expecting even demanding that the used syringes are handed in before more are given out.
The program may slow spread of disease among junkies from shared needles but is it worth the price if a kid gets HIV from stepping on a needle in a school playground.
bitter wrote: “… he told us people would like to build office space but our City is a closed door”
Typically that comes from someone who has not got the faintest clue about how to develop such a project.
“When western Canada was being settled, the kids didn’t sit around after school playing video games, watching tv and having play dates with little Suzie down the street, they did what needed to be done”
They had no video games ….. tv …. and even streets …. they had no cities … or schools …..
They did, however, have dolls, puppets and other “toys” and things to play with.
from the 1920’s when Prince George was starting out
https://www.google.com/search?q=toys+from+1920&rlz=1T4GGLS_enCA546CA546&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=lGwpUtjQAaagigLO1IHYCQ&ved=0CCsQsAQ&biw=1047&bih=478
Exactly, 1920 version of video games and tv but more imagination required by user. Not that long ago when a kid was expected to help out by having a paper route or stocking shelves at the corner store or getting up very early to help the milkman if they wanted some change in their pocket.
Wow, how did you both end up commenting about kids in the 1920’s from the original subject titled; “Prolific Property Program Makes Another Arrest”?
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