The owner of a bar in Nanaimo, B.C., says she is fed up with the crime in the city.
Last month, Sonia Komen’s bar hosted the province’s public safety minister for the first of a string of government announcements about a $12 million program targeting chronic offenders.
Then, on Monday, Komen’s daughter’s car was broken into near the bar with hundreds of dollars of belongings taken.
Komen says she was first told to leave the vehicle alone so it could be fingerprinted, but was later told such break-ins were so common it wouldn’t be investigated.
“I’ve grown up learning that we always report any sort of vandalism, big or small,” Rudy Komen said.
“Just keep everybody aware and keep our streets safe.”
But it’s not just the break-in that’s hard to swallow.
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“The people who pose the greatest risk are held accountable,” Minister of Public Safety, Nina Krieger, said.
For Sonia Komen, the optimism from last month has given way to frustration.
“I do feel a little bit used, right, and… It’s a little disheartening when this keeps happening,” she said.
While the program was only announced in June, it officially launched back in November.
Public safety advocates say that’s long enough to start asking tough questions.
“So, is this just a piecemeal offering by the provincial government to make themselves look good, or is this really going to do some justice, and bolt shut this revolving-door justice system?” Kevan Shaw with the Nanaimo Area Public Safety Association said.
Rudy’s window is now being replaced, but restoring her faith in public safety may take a little longer.
I would like to still have faith in the British Columbian government,” she said.
“But this has been going on for six months and nothing has changed. It’s frustrating, for sure.”
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