Another break-in at at a Vernon business has left the owners feeling frustrated with a lack of action from the city.
Helmut’s Sausage Kitchen on 48th Avenue was broken into Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 4:50 a.m.
The long-standing local business is left feeling frustrated by the situation.
“Hey city of Vernon. Shit’s getting real old! Commercial B&E’s seem to be the norm and to be expected,” Helmut’s posted on Facebook. “What is the city doing about it?”
Vernon North Okanagan RCMP were alerted to the break and enter shortly after 6 a.m.
“The investigation has determined that sometime overnight, a suspect smashed a front window to gain entry and stole a number of items from inside the business,” media relations officer Const. Christ Terleski said. “Police have obtained video surveillance from the business and are continuing to investigate.”
Meanwhile Helmut’s is asking anyone who may have seen a person acting suspicious on a bike wearing a high visibility vest to call them at 250-550-5410 or email vernonsausage@telus.net.
Candidates running for the city’s mayoral seat are also weighing in on the issue.
“We continue to see an increase in commercial B&E’s but little focus is being put on it. Leaders apologize and call it unacceptable but when will leadership actually take meaningful action? Local businesses are taking the financial hit while leadership is slow at working towards long term goals to create change to this continuous pattern,” mayor candidate Erik Olesen said.
Incumbent councillor Scott Anderson, who is also running for mayor, said his strategy is to amplify Vernon’s voice to make change at the provincial level.
“Many of the problems we face as a city are not within our jurisdiction to fix,” said Anderson. “In the case of crime, we can enforce bylaws, but little more. Drug policy, affordable housing, the courts, doctors, health, police, even the highways through downtown are all under senior government jurisdiction. That’s why it frustrates people when they look to local politicians to fix things, but they can’t.”
The Morning Star has reached out to incumbent mayor Victor Cumming for comment.
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