North Vancouver Mounties are investigating a string of thefts they describe as "disrespectful and insulting" to Canadian war veterans.
Six bins of poppy donation money have been stolen from local businesses over the past week-and-a-half. Derrick Fry of Royal Canadian Legion branch 118 said the thief or thieves responsible must be "very, very desperate."
"Or they just don't care. If they cared and that, they wouldn't do it," Fry said.
Mounties have been combing through surveillance video for suspects, and released images Wednesday of a man seen at a Subway restaurant on Brooksbank Avenue that was targeted.
The suspect is believed to be in his mid to late 20s, 5-11 tall, 155 lbs. with black hair, a black moustache and a small beard. He was seen wearing a dark puffy jacket.
Cpl. Richard De Jong said based on suspect descriptions from witnesses at other stores, the suspect may be responsible for more than one of the donation thefts.
Police say similar crimes are common in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day; in 2004, a woman in Coquitlam was caught stealing donations on video. She eventually turned herself in.
The public is asked to keep an eye on poppy donation bins and report any suspicious activity to police at 604-985-1311.
