Yellowknife (July 28/06) -Kevin Campbell is angry with the Inuvik RCMP after a theft from in front of his home.

A 49cc mini dirt bike was stolen from beside his Semmler Place residence last week and was quickly recovered by Mounties.

Kevin Campbell stands in front of his residence where a mini dirt bike was stolen last week. He is upset with the RCMP because they held his bike when he had no proof of ownership. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

However, because Campbell did not have proof the bike was his, it was detained in police lock-up for nearly four days.

Campbell said the RCMP were too slow in dealing with his case and that he couldn't find an officer to discuss the theft.

"What kind of community police do we have here?" asked Campbell.

"I tried to call the officers, but only spoke to a civilian who was answering phones. It took three hours for them to get back to me."

RCMP Staff Sgt. Sid Gray said he has no comment on the delay and that his officers were following procedures.

"In any theft case, we need to make sure we return the property to the rightful owner," said Gray. "We did a background check on his behalf to ensure this is his bike."

Even though the bike was most likely Campbell's, the RCMP still needed to check the retailer and sales records from the store it was purchased, said Grey.

"I can see that he is frustrated, we are going through where the bike was purchased, and looking at receipts now," said Gray before the bike was returned.

Campbell is upset that the police aren't patrolling the community on a regular basis.

"Why didn't anyone come out to the crime scene?" asked Campbell.

Campbell said a helmet was on top of the bike when it was stolen and was left behind at the scene.

"There could be finger prints on the helmet, but it just sat there for three hours," said Campbell.

An officer came and picked up the helmet after Campbell called the detachment three times.

"They didn't follow procedure, and that upsets me," said Campbell.

Campbell has a sales receipt and the instruction manuals for the mini bike, but did not record the serial number found on the bike itself.

The bike, which is only 49cc, does not need a license or registration because of it's size.

Gray wants this to be a message to the community that proof of ownership is needed in cases like this.

"Record your serial numbers, and incidents like this can be avoided," said Gray.

Campbell received the bike back, four days after it was recovered, and picked it up form the RCMP detachment.

"Even picking it up was difficult," said Campbell.

"I had to wait again for an officer to give it back to me."

Campbell said that if police were seen patrolling the streets, thefts in the middle of the day would be less frequent.

"The RCMP don't patrol like they should," said Campbell.

"If you're looking to buy a good truck, wait for one of theirs to be tendered. They have low mileage on them."