In the wee hours of many mornings, security lighting and cameras at the Tseng family’s home in Sechelt’s The Shores neighbourhood are triggered by human activity just off of their property.
The camera recordings show people on foot, carrying goods away from the closed Seawatch subdivision. There are also recordings of a pick-up truck approaching the closed area with an empty box, only to leave moments later laden with what appears to be household goods.
John Tseng had his cameras installed after the February, 2019 Seawatch evacuation left 14 high-end homes vacant behind security fencing. “After the closure, we noticed a lot more activity coming in and out of our neighbourhood through the middle of the night. They usually show up around 3 or 4 a.m.,” he told Coast Reporter.
When asked how many suspicious incidents his system has recorded since installation, Tseng laughed and said “way too many."
The recordings are shared with the community through a neighbourhood group Facebook page to help ensure others are aware and can take actions to protect themselves and their properties. A video posting from March 3 shows local residents discovering a “drop zone” for what appears to be stolen items on a foot trail just outside of the subdivision. The materials found included lighting fixtures that appear to have been removed from building ceilings and wire that may have been stripped from structures.
“All of the smaller items have already been removed, now they (the thieves) are getting more courageous.”
Tseng regularly provides his recordings to the RCMP but is unaware of any charges being filed in relation to them. In his words, the reaction to these reports from police has been “mixed." As 911 calls are routed through a call dispatch centre located off-Coast, the call takers have no idea of where the Seawatch subdivision is. Police responses are then delayed, said Tseng.
Investigators have also explained to him that unless he witnesses the items being removed from a property or an owner files a theft complaint, there is no evidence that a crime has been committed.
Another worrisome change in his neighbourhood has been the spotting of unfamiliar individuals along streets in daylight hours. This has raised concerns that properties and the location of security equipment is being "cased" to help plan for thefts or other illegal activity.
“We don’t want any potential intruders, once they are done looting Seawatch, those individuals are very familiar with our neighbourhood,” Tseng said. This is a concern for him as some of his neighbours are part-time residents and those properties could be prime targets for theft. He said that the District of Sechelt is not doing the site monitoring that it promised to do when it ordered the evacuation of Seawatch due to safety concerns. He is disappointed that The Shores is now suffering as a result.
An Mar. 9 email from Sechelt states, "In addition to fencing warning people that the grounds beyond the gate are dangerous and unstable, the following measures are in place for the Seawatch neighbourhood: RCMP respond to reports of suspicious activity and to public safety concerns in the Seawatch neighbourhood; and any vehicles parked near the Seawatch neighbourhood not registered to addresses inside the evacuated area are tracked when reported to the RCMP.
In the past, the District of Sechelt has facilitated meetings between neighbourhood residents and the RCMP about security concerns. The District encourages residents to reach out to the RCMP with any security concerns or for tips and best practices with regards to protecting their private property.
The District of Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast RCMP detachment are working together to protect public safety for the Seawatch neighbourhood. The approach integrates all services, including fire, police, engineering, planning and other services."
The RCMP did not respond to the Coast Reporter's request for comment before publication time.
In an attempt to maintain enjoyment of the location where they reside, some of The Shores property owners have re-purposed the now rarely used section of Gale Avenue North at the gate to the closed subdivision as a sports court. They have spray painted court boundary lines on the pavement for racquet sports like tennis and pickleball.
