Despite the great strides made for LGBT+ rights and acceptance, rainbow crosswalks and Pride flags have continued to be targets of vandalism and, in one of the latest incidents, theft.    

The New Westminster Police Department (NWPD) stated today (September 17) that staff discovered that their rainbow flag was missing on June 17.

When investigators reviewed surveillance footage, they found footage of a male suspect scaling the police station’s flag pole and stealing the flag.

After investigators identified the suspect, officers took him into custody on September 16.

The suspect returned the flag to police. NWPD spokesperson Hailey Finnigan said that this suspect has been charged with theft, and has been released with a future appearance in court scheduled. 

“While the dollar value of this theft was small, what it represented was not, so catching the person responsible so they can be held accountable was very important,” NWPD Deputy Chief Const. Paul Hyland stated in a news release.

The NWPD stated that it flies the flag in solidarity with LGBT+ people and for New West Pride celebrations.