Multiple vehicles vandalized at Whitehorse airport parking lot - again
'I think the airport needs to start taking things a lot more seriously' says victim
A woman from Haines Junction, Yukon, says she wasn't completely surprised when she discovered on Saturday that her car had been broken into at the Whitehorse airport.
Susan Smith said it's not the first time her car has been broken into at the airport's long-term parking lot. Her car was also rifled through in May, but this time the culprits left some damage.
When she called the RCMP, Smith found out she wasn't the only victim.
"I didn't notice anything at the the time until I started walking around and I took pictures of all the other vehicles — there were 12 other vehicles with broken windows."
Smith didn't have any windows broken on her vehicle, but the would-be thieves tried unsuccessfully to hot-wire her car, damaging her steering column and ignition in the process.
'Is it going to take an assault for cameras to go up?'
While she waited 1.5 hours for a tow truck, Smith was struck by the absence of any security in the parking lot.
"It certainly makes me wonder ... at night I have also never seen security. So it really makes me consider what my safety is there."
This is the second time in just over a month that multiple vehicles have been vandalized at the airport. During one incident in August, 20 vehicles were damaged and one was stolen.
Smith says a spate of break-ins should be enough to make airport officials act.
"I think the airport needs to start taking things a lot more seriously and not just talk about what they could do," she said.
"My question now is, 'What is it going to take?' Is it going to take an assault for cameras to go up?"
Yukon's highways and public works was not available for comment over the weekend, but when contacted in August, a spokesperson said the department does not offer secured parking at the airport.
"Although airport security does patrol the security access lane, their primary duties are to ensure that the security of the airport terminal building and air-side environment are safe and secure," said Doris Wurfbaum.
