Seasonal Safety Tips  –

VPD has a great offering of safety tips to help you stay safe and crime-free during the holiday season!

Online Shopping
• Make use of the signature option – if you’re not home to sign for the package, you can pick it up at an outlet or they can attempt delivery again.
• Log on to the company website yourself – do not enter through an emailed link.
• Check the Better Business Bureau to see if they have had any complaints about the company

In-Person Shopping
• If you must store your purchases in your car, make sure they’re in the trunk and that your trunk opener inside your car is deactivated.
• If you use your car, park somewhere well-lit and don’t leave valuables where they can be seen openly.
• Try not to take your eyes off your debit or credit card when someone else is handling it.

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How to Keep Your Bike – or Get it Back!  –

For too many people, your unlocked and unattended bicycle will look like an opportunity to get something for nothing.

Reduce your risk of having a bicycle stolen! Here are a few tips on bicycle theft prevention and an online ‘tool’ called Project 529 (P529) to increase the odds of a stolen bicycle recovery.

• Lock your bicycle with a quality ($$$) lock – especially in your garage!
• Etch or engrave your BC driver’s license number on expensive components
• Lock your bicycle near a busy walkway; or well-lit area if at night
• Check online for nearby bike racks or bike locker rentals
• Record bicycle details, take pictures, record serial number and…
• Register with P529 at our HSCPC office or online

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Walk Wisely As Days Get Shorter  –

It is time to brush up on pedestrian safety with the daylight hours becoming shorter. The highest number of crashes involving pedestrians occur on Thursdays and Fridays; between 3 pm and 6 pm; during the fall and winter.

Unfortunately, about one of every five victims of fatal car crashes in BC is a pedestrian. About 2,400 pedestrians are injured every year.

To not become a statistic, here are some helpful tips:

• Look both ways before crossing the intersection. Drivers are focused on oncoming traffic and may not see you.
• Always use crosswalks and follow pedestrian signs and traffic signals.
• Always make eye contact; do not assume the driver can see you.
• Phone down, head up; do not be distracted while crossing the street. This also means no headphones while crossing an intersection.
• Wear bright/reflective clothing at night and/or during poor weather.

Stop by the CPC to pick up a reflective tag (provided by ICBC).

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Seniors Find New Hope at Hopehill  –

Hopehill is the new name for Beulah Garden Homes at 5^th Avenue and Rupert. It has been operating since 1951 as the home and community of around 400 seniors who need affordable, independent or assisted living.

I asked Yvonne Ho, Hopehill’s operations manager, about the recent name change. “Our new name, Hopehill, signals who we are: a place of hope. It’s a new name and a promise of more than just affordable housing. It’s a community of hope: physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually,” she says.

Mary Dickau, wellness manager, says that the relationship with the HSCPC began about 15 years ago when Lorraine Chow, who looks after the seniors program at Thunderbird Community Center, brought HSCPC Executive Director Clair MacGougan to a Thursday Tea Time. “Since then, Clair and his team have dropped in regularly to visit with the folks here.”

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ICBC Distracted Driving Campaign  –

ICBC and the VPD Traffic Unit have launched their distracted driving campaign for the autumn season. 

Distracted driving is a serious concern in B.C., accounting for more than one in four fatal crashes and claiming the lives of 76 British Columbians each year.

ICBC and police are launching a month-long campaign urging drivers to leave their phone alone while driving. Police across the province are ramping up distracted driving enforcement, and community police volunteer teams are conducting Cell Watch deployments to remind drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

Using electronic devices, like smart phones, is one of the most common and riskiest forms of distracted driving and increases your crash risk by five times.

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ICBC Summer Impaired Driving Campaign –

Sadly, each year in B.C., 65 people die in crashes involving impaired​ driving. Almost a third of these happen in the summer and some occur during the December holidays. 

No matter what time of year, there are many options to get home safely if you’ve had a drink or two. So, whether it’s after work or play, make the smart choice. Remember, the best time to decide how to get home responsibly is before you start drinking.    

Here are some tips for planning a safe ride home​.

ICBC and police across the province are encouraging drivers to be responsible, and police will be looking for impaired drivers at CounterAttack roadchecks throughout the summer.

You can find more information on the ICBC website. 

#GetHomeSafeBC

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Score a Winning Summer – Be Safe at Home!  –

Warmer weather means we will start to open our windows and possibly doors for prolonged periods of time. This can let someone illegally enter your home with little effort.  In 2021, there were 39 break and enters in our neighbourhood.

Do not make it easy for them! Leaving your home for just five minutes gives someone time to climb through an open window. Always remember to close and lock your windows and doors! Opportunists will walk around neighbourhoods to determine which homes are easy targets for them. Don’t be an easy target!

Here are some tips to curb theft during the summer months:

Hot Tips for the Summer!

• Lock all doors, even when you are at home. Make this a habit.
• Always lock and close your windows when you leave your home. Even during the summer!
• Get to know your neighbours! Your neighbour can be the extra set of eyes and ears when you are not home.
• Don’t leave any valuable items in plain view of a window.
• Look at your home through the eyes of someone looking to break in. Are you making it easy for them? Did you leave your ladder out after a roofing project? This provides easy access to a second-story window. Are your bushes or trees providing cover for a break-in?

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Shredder Secures 4+ Tons of Documents

8,900 pounds!

That’s how much paper was safely shredded May 7 on Shredding Day 2022 – our best year to date based on the weight of shredded documents!

That’s a lot of financial statements, personal and business documents — anything on paper requiring privacy but needing to be discarded in a fast and secure destruction. 

Shredding Day is a major fundraiser for the Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre, co-hosted with the Hastings North Business Improvement Association. 

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