During this last week, Oak Bay Police Department responded to 89 calls for service. Eleven calls were associated to false alarms.
On February 3, a vehicle was stopped for speeding in the 2200 block of Cadboro Bay Road. The investigating officer smelled an odor of liquor from the driver. The officer administered the ASD (Approved Screening Device) and received a ‘FAIL’ reading. The driver received an Immediate Roadside Prohibition for 90 days and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days. The driver was given a warning for speeding.
On February 5, at approximately 0100 hrs, an officer stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation in the 2900 block of Foul Bay Road. The officer smelled a stale odor of liquor from the inside of the vehicle and the driver admitted to consuming liquor. The ASD was administered and the reading showed a ‘WARN’. The right to a second test in a different ASD instrument was provided and the second sample was also a ‘WARN’. The driver received an immediate 3 day prohibition and the vehicle was impounded for three days.
On February 6, a local resident attended the office to report he had received an email from “CIBC” requesting information. The homeowner clicked the link and provided their credit card number, SIN number, driver’s license number, name and address. The homeowner realized later that it could be a fraud and attended the CIBC and closed their credit card account. The homeowner also contacted both credit bureau agencies in order to have the credit card information flagged for possible identity theft. The Oak Bay Police Department want to inform our residents that your banking institutions already have your personal banking information and they will not ask for your personal information by phone or online. Do not to disclose your credit card or personal information to online scams that may result in an identity theft investigation.
On February 9, at approximately 0100 hrs, an officer conducted an impromptu roadblock in the 2200 block of Eastdowne Road. The officer smelled an odor of liquor from the driver who admitted to consuming an alcohol beverage. The ASD was administered and the reading showed a ‘WARN’. The right to a second test in a different ASD instrument was provided and the second sample was also a ‘WARN’. The driver received an immediate 3 day prohibition.
Later in the day, a report was taken of an 11.5 foot catamaran which had been stolen from the Oak Bay Marina, where it had been moored. A marina resident contacted the owner of the catamaran and informed him that a sailboat was towing his boat from the fuel dock south towards the Victoria Golf Course. The vessels were spotted in Victoria near Ogden Point. The Oak Bay Police member attended with VicPD’s Marine Unit to attempt to locate the vessel. While patrolling the water the police boat suffered a mechanical failure forcing a return to the dock. The stolen vessel was later spotted off Maple Bank (First Nations area) requiring RCMP and DND assistance. While arranging to gain access to the boat to make a recovery, the stolen vessel had apparently rowed to shore and disappeared under the cover of darkness. The investigation is ongoing and it involved interagency cooperation from the following departments- Canadian Coast Guard, Victoria Police Department Marine Unit (VicPD), Saanich Police Department (SPD), Department of National Defence (DND) and the Westshore RCMP.
