HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2000-02-16, Page 2Y
S -TRE HURON EXPOSITOR, P4Ime ry i$, SOSO
Special report
Deadbolts, grates over air conditioners
and plus can help deter burglars
The longer it takes a thief to get inside a store,
the more likely he'll be caught, the less likely he'll try
By Scot HI'ig.ndorff
ExpostloiEditor
There are a number of
8tcps local business people
i can tike -to decrease the
thanscs r+f their stores being
rtitibcj nr broken into:
OpP Community •Services
• officer Pim Shropshall was
to Scaforth.last: week to meet
with thc_business"community
to, help -them crimeproof
their businesses' and improve
the chances cif thieses being
catieht.
Bait money. for example.
ran. help police: catch a
robbcror thief •
The husiness sets aside a ,
few hills and keeps a record
of the- serial number. They
are kept with other money.
that might he__ taken during a
hrc ale and; enter or the clerk
is instructed to give 'those.
hills to a robber with the,
• othe.r'.ash that the - -thief is
taking.,,
"It ran help us track that
perst+n • ., down._` said
Shropsh'al.l, •
He preented the group
,ss ith, packages of 'stickers
that nottfj potential burglars
of cser)thing from the fact
there i',tittle money kept in
the cash•register to the•fact
the business is involved in a
cnmeproofrng program.
"Bthem .seeing these
stickeis all over vour.store.
they ma) decide "to: go.
omens .ere • •else." said
Sh 1.
S :',half also•
ie..-- T.ended stores be-
.am+arc how secure their
bents!r-g are and make
`.antes to improve their
security.
For example. he knows of.
several businesses who have
used heavy. seemingly"
secure doors on the rear of
the -buildings only."to"have
those doors installed with the
hinges on the outside.
Unless the pins in the
hinges are spot-welded in
place. a:thief can pop the
pins out and lift the door off
quickly enough to get inside.
The more
difficult it is
to get inside
a store. the
less likely a
thief will
try.- • said
Shropshall.
because the
longer a
criminal !s
working on
ge t•i n g
inside. the
more like))
he will he
discovered.
For the front and reardoor •
locks. - Shropshall
recom ends
ma round metal
ring be installed around the
circular locks t hat: are placed
inside doors. -'- -
"One group was. using a
-tool to spin off the trent
:locks," he said: The metal
ging stops that,tool- from
grabbing hold of,the lock.
making it difficult to spin the,
lock out of thefrarne.
Rear doors shobld be
heavy wood or metal with no
glass' and -should have a
deadbolt'lock in them to
make it•harder-to.pry the
doors open.
A ,deadbolt lock would:
meant e.w o e oor jam
would need to be broken
down to get inside. Again.
this would take Ionger.•and
make more .noise. increasing
the chances the thief ,will
target another location.
Windows can be pinned
together by -drilling a hole in
the top of the bottom frame.
and another in the bottom of
the top. allowing the two to
be fastened together. making
it difficult to
pry them open.
• if there are
_windows in the
back of a store,
they should be
. secured at
basement
windows. at
least, should -be'
made .of
plexiglass.
"Plexiglass
can take a long
time to break..
You can take a
blunt_ object --
and bang away at it:" said
Shropshall
Ans air• conditioning units
or ecAaust fans need to be
- secured or covered with
metal grates or screens.
:"We've had several
'b'usinesses broken into
because they pushed the air
conditioning unit into the
' store." said Shropshall.
Others have climbed into
the duct work through the
exhaust fan opening and
entered the store from there:,
Only ,people who need -to •
use keys for the store should.
have .-them and white
Stirop"shall said a business
-person doesni want to think'
Quoted
'One group
was using a
tool to spin off
the front
locks,'--
OPP Community
Services Officer
Don S wopshd
a former employee wculdbe store_and call the police.- he
a,. suspect in a•break and said.
enter. it does•happen. Many robber. 'is ill . s i sit a
He said locks should he store•hefure'coming hack Co
changed when a 'staff "• commit the break and enter.
"member leaves under- bad Sbropshali recommends staff
circumstances• greet each customer that
•Al closing lime. many • comes in by approaching
robbery attempts are made "him ocher and offer to help.
from behind the stores where "A robber Joesn-t like to
• there is less public visibility. be greeted.-". said Shropshall.
Shropshall - said- staff He also satd•statf•should
should exit from.the front of avoid 'routines like making
the store whenever possible. the. deposit at lite same lime
and no one should leave -a each day or getting together
' store alone. • • - with other merchants for
He said- there should coffee at the same -time.
always be • two people Most break and enters and
leaving together. not pulling mhbenes are- commrtied by
aay from the parking.lot "."processional:-' now and
until each sees the other's Shropshafl..itd they will be
vehicle ready to go: . observing the store 'for-
He"also recommends Wide- routine•s.what.is tnid"e.,
angle mirrors be installed in .sylzereihe- money is kept a .rid
alleys so staff -can see who or any- other information that
what is out there before- might help them ,get in and
stepping out the door. = out more'quickly. " •-
• Shropshal! -said good If -store deliveries can he
outside lighting for -the back made in. the e.vening•,or
_,
alleys is necessary and any_through the night. Shropshall
"obstructions, like bushes and recommends thisas .s ell
-shrubs should be'removed. because "ij keeps the act;. -v
-so nobody can hide down in .going` at the store and
that area:" - - increases the chances a thief
The inside- of the. store • " will _c.somewhere else since„
should alsobe kept clean • there is "the chance a dcii.ery."
with -aisles kept clear and no • might come while -a '•r,:ak
-signs or displays.blocking and enter is taking pias.; •
the view ifrom the outside
windows.
That way. an officer or.
patrol or pedestrians can -ee
down the aisles and ppsst
notice an intruder inside a
•
store or business' -.
"The officer at :night
• rbe looking . throu _-
Windows, " Shropshal- -'
- Displays or ohstruct,or,
a thief a :'ire ..
behind whe- •• _._
approaches the store.
"Even someone dns
might see actittiti
Project Intruder launched last week
By Scott Hilpendorff
lxssor Edda_
• Prolect Intruder was
last week to -help
e catch the new .breed
• ,m; err. more •organized-
;r,e\• who break into
.toren and homes -for.
Merchandise. to -sell on the
Hack market.
As'thieves mole through
.the area. OPP Community
Sere ices Officer Don
Shropshall said this new
. project will help ponce piece:
together and track the people -
committing •the eri'tnes.
wheihcr it he %chicle thefts
or the l trite -"crate theft :of,
sh+thtnc-trom a local store.'
Organized groups of.
th_ies c. from outl) ing.city
areas ate committing alarge
ttumhcr of `break and enters
tural. ►ommunities. filling
up ".hopping- lists" for then --
buyers •
. Proles' Intruder has been
destened• • to :collect
'iniorm,rtion about carious
.their, Into one data hase'that
ps'm niiallh links. crimes and
int++rmatum that helps police •
catch the criminals collected about the break-ins
Data bases hase. been set was distributed t� police in
up a4; OPP centres in all areas. The suspects were
Tillsonburg. Chatham and not caught -but When -one of
Mount'Foresi that will help them entered a restaurant in -
officers _ put all of. the a neighbouring town and
;-information together from 'took a taxi'to St„Marys, the
this region -wiih surrounding. staff were paying attention. ..
Southern. Ontario. . They had heard about the
detachments..- chase: thought this'persontit.
Then will: be' correlating , a _• description that.' was
information throughout the broadcast. and called the
regions.'; said Shropshall. . police. • '
It's one of the. reasons When the suspect arrivedOPP-are asking people- to in St: Mary's the police.there
make .notes of. anything were waiting for him and the
suspicious; such as a strange • break and enter was resolved
Vehicle parked on a street for the same day: •
a long period. of time or . The data base will help
someone 'loitering around a police the same way:
store. . assisting-- officers ' from.
The.: details..a person several detachments keep.
records may provide police track of information as -theft's
• with a missing piece of and break ins occur.
information that lets them It also' helps police put
pommels' identify a. person, more complete descriptions
or.. sehtcle to a crime. together of their suspects.
. For example. a break and - `A witness may have
enter in McGilliyary information about a vehicle
Township, near London, led and a partial licence plate
to :a police pursuit in the from -one break and enter
Hensall arca whe-n the and. in another town. a
suspect was spotted there.• witness may get. the full
becayse the information , licence plate and a partial
While most are professionals,
some locals still break and enter
from Pogo 1
time. so the tour hours they don't patrol seem
rni+re random to professionals watching.the
tow11 • .
Bout risen in towns that haVe 24-hour
r.1,, mg. there's still break-ins. They know
* tit: to the p(due are." Lonsbary said.
Hy .
not sure whether or not cud sirens that •
and
inside the store might. be a good way to.
g,i.hecause it might scare the thieses off;
atretd ut theattention.the alarm might attract.
(+'nigh.ming malty! • is the fact that the
the
"unbeatable"
BETTER.
locally cormnitted break and enters still occur.
. Both homes and businesses remain targets
and thieves enter 'looking for many of the
same types. of items from cash and stereos w
jewelry and liquor.
' A rash of these” types. of break itis, coupled
with a senes of car thefts with the .vehicles
being used to commit the break iris. has
occurred in the Seaforth and Goderich areae.
• These thefts are believed to have been
. committed by the same couple of people from
the areas in which the crimes were committed
•
'descnption of "the suspect.
When the two are ;
:together in the data hag
ar
officer is ab1eto cat,
suspect.
By working with a ^, e-
picture.'Shropsha1l sat.:
will help OPP:combat :he
more organized nature of the
bleak and enters: that are
taking place: •
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