To the thieves who sole my sons keys and my insurance and transfer papers for my truck and trailer:
While my son and I were enjoying a rare camping trip at Chilliwack Provincial Park, you noticed my truck was unlocked and stole my son’s keys and my insurance (including transfer papers). With my address and the keys to my home, you came and took my jewelry box and my most recent bank statements.
When we realized what happened the next morning, my son and I were instantly worried about our beloved pet cat, who is terrified of anyone other than us. We were also worried that the doors were left open and she would be gone, running from the source of her terror into the night and not found again. It was a tense one hour as we travelled back to our home.
We are grateful you left the doors closed after your burglary. My cat was still hiding in the two-inch space under the treadmill when we got home. She is traumatized but will recover.
We are also grateful you didn’t take my son’s car, as you had the keys, unlocked the garage door and obviously looked around. However, selling a stolen car is much more risky than selling 60 years’ worth of inexpensive jewellery. Although the jewelry you stole has little monetary value, it had a lot of emotional value to me. I had pieces given to me from my deceased mother, from my friends, and other items that had emotional content for me.
I don’t know if you will come back to collect other items that you liked but weren’t as portable. The police said it was possible, and have advised me to keep my phone at hand at all times. Although I changed my locks and now have the doors locked at all times, my sense of security is gone.
You also stole my belief that I could go to a provincial park and have a safe and enjoyable time, as I have for the past 40 years. I now know that I need to lock up everything I own, even during the day. I was told mine was the third unlocked vehicle that had been burglarized in a week.
To anyone else who loves the outdoors and enjoys taking advantage of our fabulous and well-kept provincial parks: Make sure you are safe. Ensure every one of your valuables is secured at all times. The provincial park staff are amazing, but they are not security guards and cannot ensure your belongings are safe. The crime against me was a crime of opportunity, and I provided the opportunity by not locking my truck during the day.
I hope everyone else has a lovely and safe time at all our local parks, keeping belongings secured against opportunists who want to take our belongings and our sense of safety.
Karen Berry
