Hants North area going through crime wave

Kennetcook- There is a joke in rural areas that if you want to know what you are doing ask your neighbours. But now and then this is no joke, sometimes even the smallest thing you see can help solve crimes in the area.
It was a rude awakening for the owner of the Freshmart in Kennetcook on Feb 4 when he discovered his store had been robbed overnight. There had been break-ins before, more of a smash and grab, but the alarm always let owners know something was happening as soon as the door was touched. There is a siren that sounds even when the alarm has been tampered with, but this was no ordinary robbery, the thieves were very familiar with store security cutting phone lines, stealing the camera equipment, and they knew their way around ATM machines.
The lines for the ATM in the store come from a separate source and the thieves knew where that control panel was and how to disable the alarm. It was severely damaged but no cash removed. The thieves targeted the cigarettes, shredding the cage the owner was assured no one could break, and walked off with $14,000 of cigarettes which have yet to be replaced.
The safe was not opened, but the lock on the outside broken and in need of repair, several packages of expensive meats were taken, including what was in the walk in freezer, the door was left open. The outside door was severely damaged, and a new security system will have to be installed. Total cost of damages will be upwards of $18,000 which includes property damage, lost revenue and wages because the store had to be closed most of the day.
While insurance will cover some of the costs, it is still a bitter pill to swallow and in some cases takes time to recoup the losses. There is a need to look at another type of security system, and replacing and repairing damaged items. Some stores simply stop carrying cigarettes because they are valuable to thieves but costly to store owners, one who chose this route says it can take up to four years to recover costs.
Last November two stores in the Rawdon area were targeted, one by gun point. RCMP was notified but an exhaustive search the perpetrators were not found. Before those, other stores in the Brooklyn area were hit as well; there is a similar method in all of these robberies.
District Councillor Greg Grant is in support of having a localized police service; he is in support of anything that will benefit the people in his area. He says his district alone has had murders, several robberies, violent domestic abuse, scamming operations and several other questionable activities. There was also concern that the last known site of missing Dartmouth teen Melissa Peacock was the Gore. There have been car fires, one that decimated the local Fire Dept where essential life saving gear was stored. This was a huge financial loss to a group who constantly needs to find funds for upkeep and replace out of date equipment, let alone rebuild and replace.
“Per capita, we probably have had more crime than most of East Hants, definitely more violent ones,” says Grant. “Response time can be 30 plus minutes from Enfield to 45 minutes from Windsor to the area, and that is if there is someone there to respond.”
He was also a victim of theft when his garage was broken into and the contents stolen, he says insurance can cover costs, but only when you buy new and send in saved receipts. That means you have to have the funds to replace in the first place. He is only one of many.
District 11 Councillor Eleanor Roulston councillor weighed in on the response time issue. Her area is mainly serviced by the Windsor RCMP as are one side of Hwy 345 and parts of Noel while the other by the Enfield detachment. She staunchly believes that the rural residents deserve faster service than what is offered now.
She says, “Even before the break-ins council had recognized the need for increased policing in the rural areas – hence our request to move our officers from Windsor to a location in the Rawdon area to better serve the rural side while still being within the same response time for Mt. Uniacke. We have asked the minister of Justice to reconsider his decision on this request – I believe we will be meeting with someone from his department at some point.”
Constable Les Kakonyi, Community Policing Officer with the Enfield detachment offered a few tips or suggestions on how the public and business owners can be vigilant.
Residents are encouraged to report anything they see that is out of the ordinary, no matter how small. It may just be the piece of the puzzle the police are looking or to solve a crime. Kakonyi says they would rather follow a false alarm than find they were too late.
For business owners and store clerks, they should take notice of strangers, usually this time of year the clientele will be more local. They may come into the store a week or two ahead of a robbery to case the business, browse around spending time in the store, but not purchasing, and if they do, it may not be large item. They may also ask odd questions and spend a lot of time looking around. Employees are encouraged to report that information, a description of the person or vehicle might help police find the suspect.
Constable Kakonyi recommends, “Go with your gut instinct. If something does not seem right, even if you can’t put your finger on it, but you know it is not your typical customer, call us. It might be the description given is what we are looking for.”
He also suggests looking at and re-evaluation the alarm system you have and seeing if it has a back up source if the electrical or phone cord is cut. Leaving lights on overnight and keeping the view clear on windows can help potential witnesses report suspicious activity. Since the target seems to be cash and cigarettes, make sure both are secure and the safe is tamper proof.
About response time, Kakonyi agrees if the officers are in the corridor, the response time can be a bit longer, depending on time of day and road conditions. But he also says, they may luck out and have a car in the area. Once the call goes out, whoever is working that night will be on the lookout.
The public is encouraged to contact the RCMP if they have any information regardless of how minor it may seem. Crime Stoppers is an excellent, anonymous, untraceable way to report any and all information without giving a name, their slogan says it all, ‘we want your information not your name.’ To contact Crime Stoppers, call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). There are cash rewards offered if your tip leads to a conviction.
anitabenedict@enfieldweeklypress.com