Property thefts on UBC campus and the university neighbourhoods have risen sharply in the last year, the local RCMP detachment says.
Property thefts jumped 51 percent over 2022, followed by a 49 percent rise in traffic offenses and a 35 per cent rise in fraud, Staff Sgt. Chuck Lan, the detachment’s commanding officer, said during a presentation to the UNA board of directors at February’s monthly meeting.
Overall, calls for service rose from 3,214 in 2022 to 3,935 last year–a 22 per cent increase.
Lan said instances of fraud reported to police included scams targeting seniors, real estate scams, and what he called romance scams.
Other notable increases included a 23 per cent surge in assaults, a 19 per cent increase in reports of impaired driving, and a 22 per cent increase in reported motor collisions.
On the other side, auto thefts declined 22 percent.
In other business, directors also discussed a UNA staff report that explored different approaches to filling vacancies on the board when they arise.
The report came about after the UNA’s governance and human resources committee was presented with a research report last December on how other organizations similar to the UNA fill vacancies on their governing bodies.
Following that report, the committee asked staff to “prepare a draft process that would entail the UNA filling vacancies on the board primarily through a byelection, but allowing for vacancies to be handled through appointment in certain situations.”
There are currently two vacancies on the seven-member board following the resignations of Wesbrook Place resident Jane Kang earlier this year and Ali Mojdehi, who resigned last summer.
The report submitted to the board discussed the pros and cons of filling vacancies through either by-elections or through appointments. However, with elections scheduled for this fall, the board decided to defer any further action or the redrafting of existing bylaws.
The issue is expected to be discussed during upcoming monthly board meetings in advance to UNA elections, which are scheduled for this November.
EMMANUEL SAMOGLOU IS MANAGING EDITOR OF THE CAMPUS RESIDENT