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Suspect charged with multiple property offences

New Westminster – Beginning in early August, the New Westminster Police Department received multiple reports of incidents of theft, some of which involved fraud and the use of stolen credit cards. The majority of the thefts involved purses or backpacks that were stolen from public places, such as coffee shops. Unsuspecting people would set their purse or backpack down, and when left either unattended or with their back to their items, the suspect would take their property, often without being seen. After stealing the purse or backpack, the suspect would then allegedly use their credit cards for other purchases. The majority of the thefts occurred during day time hours in public places.

“Receiving multiple theft reports that share numerous similarities is concerning, so we assigned multiple different sections to investigate, which included members from Patrol, the Criminal Intelligence Unit, the Crime Suppression Team, and the Forensic Identification Section,” stated Sergeant Jeff Scott. “It is always troubling when there a series of offences, especially when the offences are done in broad daylight and in public spaces.”

On October 3, 2017 after a significant amount of investigation, and with the assistance of an alert employee at the River Market on Quayside Drive who recognized the suspect through video surveillance, 36 year old William Raymond Banks, of Vancouver BC, was arrested and charged with the following offences:

  1. 9 counts of Theft, section 334(b) of the Criminal Code;
  2. 6 counts of Fraud, section 380(1) of the Criminal Code;
  3. 2 counts of Breach of Conditions, section 145(3) of the Criminal Code; and,
  4. 1 count of Possession of Stolen Credit Card; section 342(1)(c) of the Criminal Code.

“This is another example of the excellent collaboration between our different sections and members of the community,” stated Sergeant Jeff Scott. “Solving crime often includes the assistance of the public, so we want to thank the community for their help in solving this series of alleged offences.”

Mr. Banks remains in custody for his next court appearance on October 30, 2017.

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