With plenty of summer still ahead, some Salt Spring Island farmstand operators are scaling back their offerings or closing their stands for the season over concerns about theft of both cash and items for sale.
And despite several honour-system home businesses missing goods without any payment being made, thefts of that kind are rarely reported to police. Salt Spring RCMP Detachment Commander Sgt. Clive Seabrook said very few of the operators who had taken to social media to chronicle missing goods this summer had filed police reports. While the theft of cash during this year’s tourist season had prompted more people to involve the RCMP, Seabrook said there had still been only two reports filed this summer — and a total of four for the calendar year so far.
“The two [recent] reports we have are regarding theft of the cash box at the farmstand,” said Seabrook. “That said, to me a stand can be a target for its cash or items for sale.”
Margaret Fisher said she was among the few who reported a theft to police this summer. Her “Stand Out of the Way” farmstand on Cudmore Road was hit during a late June wave of thefts that operators had attributed to one person, having caught security camera images of a similar figure making off with goods from several stands. Fisher said her stand did not have a camera, but the timing lined up.
“I mean, I’ve had the odd dozen eggs go missing over the years,” said Fisher, who has been at the same location since 2021. “But then this. She took my whole container of soap, and my basket full of lavender sachets. She just took everything.”
And after another theft three weeks ago — Fisher said she’d stocked more soap on her stand, and someone took all of it — Fisher joined several operators reached by the Driftwood who were reducing what they’re putting out until the summer ends. Seabrook suggested farmstands might benefit from only having items for sale during certain times of the day, when there is more traffic around to deter theft — and positioning them so they can be seen from the operator’s residence.
And he recommended using video cameras wherever practical, along with a sign posted saying the area is being monitored.
“Ideally there would be a camera in the stand that catches the face of the suspect and another positioned in a way that captures the road in front of the stand so we can get the licence plate number,” said Seabrook, advising operators test the camera a few times to see if it’s positioned well, and ensure it records — preferably to a hard drive or cloud storage.
“When using the kind of camera that has an internal memory the footage disappears with the camera when stolen,” said Seabrook. “If someone steals a camera with an external memory, we can still identify the suspect even if they steal the camera — and include theft of the camera with our charges.”
Many cameras can be set to notify the operator when anyone is at the stand, he added.
With more than 200 farmstands open on various days during the summer, Seabrook said even when there are no witnesses or camera footage, he would still prefer thefts be reported.
“This way we can track these thefts,” said Seabrook, “including locations, days of week and times of day. This information may eventually show a pattern that over time can assist us in making an arrest.”
Seabrook said RCMP has a suspect in one farmstand theft file, but so far police have not been able to identify the person. Fisher said the experience is discouraging, but supported her belief it was not generally locals responsible.
“When people steal things you so carefully offer up for sale, you do feel violated,” said Fisher. “For now, I just won’t put that stuff there anymore. I’ll do a little baking on the weekends, and I’ll have eggs. Probably when the tourist season’s over, I’ll go back to putting other things out.”
More Farmstand Security Tips
• Use a locking cashbox that is secured to the stand, or switch to e-transfers. RCMP suggest frequent check-ins with the cash box so it is emptied frequently, which will minimize any losses. Frequent checks of the cash box will also provide a more accurate account of what was stolen should an arrest be made.
• Position the stand in a location that is visible from the residence — this way a potential thief knows they can be seen by the operator.
• Even if you don’t have a camera, check with your neighbours — if someone a few doors down has one, you can let police know if you have to report a theft.
• Know what you have, and if unique items like handmade clothing or pottery are for sale, take pictures of the merchandise — this way it can be easily identified when located.