Pubdate: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 Source: Record, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2003 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc. Contact: http://www.royalcityrecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1654 Author: Julie Maclellan STOP, YOU'RE NOT UNDER ARREST A man dressed in a New Westminster police uniform has apparently been ripping off drug dealers on Twelfth Street - and no, he wasn't a police officer. New Westminster police have tracked down a police uniform that's been missing since May 16 when some clothes were stolen from the Columbia Street dry cleaning shop that takes care of police uniforms. The thief apparently entered through a back door that was kept open for ventilation. Among the items taken was a shirt and pair of pants from a police uniform, Staff Sgt. Casey Dehaas noted, adding the shop has since been asked to keep the back door closed. This past week, on June 11, police acted on a tip and got a search warrant for an apartment on 13th Street. Sure enough, Dehaas said, hanging in the closet was the shirt and pants in question. Two people in the apartment were arrested for possession of stolen property. In the intervening time, at least one of them has been putting on the uniform and going up and down Twelfth Street approaching possible drug dealers and confiscating their money and drugs. "The drug dealers are probably happy they weren't being charged," Dehaas said. "We don't know how many times that may have happened." Dehaas said police would be interested in getting information to support charges of impersonating a police officer. However, that won't happen unless any of the people who were ripped off are willing to talk to police. "Chances are against people coming forward," Dehaas admitted. But he said that, if anybody is willing to talk to police, they're not interested in pursuing charges against any of the victims of the phoney police officer. In the meantime, he's just glad that the clothes have been restored to their rightful owner. "We're just fortunate we got the uniform back." How not to commit a crime ... Memo to purse-snatchers: You might want to make sure your victim doesn't see where you live. Oh, and it helps if she's not your neighbour. New Westminster police were called out Wednesday evening after a woman's purse was snatched outside the New Westminster Public Library, Staff Sgt. Casey Dehaas reported. A man grabbed the purse and ran off to an apartment building on Ash Street, behind the library. The victim was able to spot the man going into the building and, as it happened, she lived there too. A police officer made some inquiries and tracked down the suite where the man lived. The purse was found inside the suite and the man had money in his possession - exactly the same amount of money that was reported missing from the purse. The 50-year-old man was arrested, and the woman got her purse back intact. "We were able to return the purse and all the belongings to the victim," Dehaas said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake