You can now meet with online buyers and sellers of valuable goods outside the Port Moody Police Department (PMPD) headquarters.
The local constabulary has set up an exchange zone at the front of its building at 3051 St Johns St.
"The idea of the exchange zone is to allow a safe location for citizens to meet and complete online transactions as well as transfer children between parents and/or guardians," stated PMPD spokesperson Const. Sam Zacharias.
The zone is located outside the PMPD's front doors, where there are multiple CCTV survelliance cameras facing the well-lit, public location.
"There are certainly risks to carrying out online transactions — we occasionally see instances of frauds, thefts and robberies," Zacharias added.
"While we cannot guarantee everyone's safety, we do recommend using public venues like this exchange zone to complete these types of transactions to limit risk."
Police are recommending using the location on business days from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., while the department's front counter is open.
The safe exchange zone follows the initiative in place at other police stations, such as the Coquitlam RCMP headquarters at 2986 Guildford Way, which established its buy/sell zone in January.
Occasionally, there are reports of online sales going wrong in Metro Vancouver.
Last May, in Port Moody, two men attempted to steal a pair of sneakers after pepper spraying the victim on his doorstep.
