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Missing: 3 PalmPilots and 42 military weapons and accessories
Provided by iPolitics Staff
Posted on Thu, Nov 3, 2011, 4:17 pm by Sonya Bell
[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]The government’s tough-on-crime agenda still has a ways to go on the home front, according to the acts of theft and vandalism reported in the Public Accounts of Canada for 2010-11.
This fiscal year, at least $1.5 million of federal government goods – ranging from taxi vouchers, to safety glasses, to motor boats – have been stolen or vandalized. The exact amount is likely much greater than the official figure of $1.5 million, because an additional $150 million in losses, damages and fraud are classified as occurring either by accident, or by an illegal act.
The most costly crime was damage to RCMP buildings and property, with three incidents totalling $250,000. The smallest item to be stolen was a $10 handcuff key from the Canada Border Services Agency.
At National Defence, the theft of military kits, military specific equipment, and weapons and accessories totalled nearly $100,000.
While the losses due to fraud are expected to be corrected, the majority of items that were stolen are not expected to be found, according to the report. So far, less than $40,000 worth of the stolen goods have been recovered.
Among the many items no one expects to see again are three PalmPilots stolen from Agriculture Canada, collectively valued at $1,200. (Perhaps that’s because it’s tough to find things at the bottom of the Ottawa River, even when they are museum-worthy.)
Agriculture Canada isn’t holding out hope for a chair it has reported stolen either — a chair worth, inexplicably, $1,000.
Also in the records, an Environment Canada housing unit in Yellowknife was vandalized to the tune of $14,000 by a ex-employee.
The biggest strains on the public purse are not the illegal offences, but accidental losses and damages. These incidents amounted to more than $19 million in this year of fiscal restraint.
The most significant financial setback listed is the $8.3 million Parks Canada reported in damages caused by storms. The RCMP reported accidental damage to more than 1,000 government vehicles, at a cost of nearly $3 million. The loss or damage of computers at National Defence totalled $1 million.
Even the little things can cost a lot of loonies. Lost keys at CBSA tally up to nearly $2,000. A damaged canoe at Fisheries and Oceans amounted to more than $1,500.
Over at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, the loss of a library book valued at $1,710 was reported. But perhaps what’s more remarkable is that a book was checked out from the library, so good on you, HRSDC.
But let’s really try to find those 42 stolen military weapons and accessories.
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Mar 8 Nov - 1:49