A local RCMP officer was recognized Wednesday night in Edmonton by the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) for his extra efforts to catch a suspect involved in a string of bank robberies in Burnaby.
Constable Chad Premack was among five police officers from across Canada to receive the CBA’s Law Enforcement Award at this year’s conference of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.
As lead investigator, Constable Premack headed a multi-jurisdictional investigation centred on a suspect who had robbed half a dozen banks in Burnaby over a 15-month period between May 2008 and July 2009.
After months of investigation, the suspect, who was considered a violent offender, was arrested last November. In his residence, police found 11 handguns, two assault rifles and two rifles, along with ammunition, a money counter, digital scales and cash.
The constable’s efforts led to the suspect pleading guilty and receiving a custodial sentence of eight to 10 years.
Bank robberies continue to be a significant issue in B.C., although the situation seems to be improving.
Maura Drew-Lytle, the CBA’s director of communications told BIV Wednesday night that the number of bank robberies in Canada has declined over the past decade to nearly 770 cases nationally in 2008 from 1,155 in 2000.
B.C. has traditionally had a relatively high rate of robberies. Drew-Lytle noted that has historically been the case because robbers “weren’t being put behind bars as long and they tended to re-offend more often, and more were drug abusers as well.”
She noted bank robberies tend to be perceived as purely financial crimes, but the human impact can be far more traumatic for staff involved.
"People can say it’s just some money getting taken from a bank, but it’s a personal crime. Sometimes a robbery can go on and nobody will know but the teller involved. It can be very traumatic for that person.”