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"Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" _-- JERE RAL LAY incidents of cigarette theft are on the rise in Durham Re- gion. In Port Perry alone a number of local establishments have been victims of break ins in which the thieves have taken a considerable amount of cigarettes. Jim Grieve, man- ager of the IGA In Port Perry, (Pictured), stocks his shelves with more cigarettes. FOLDERS KRAFT REVERSIBLE LETTER PRN sn Boxof 100 ( 9.90 LEGAL Box of 100 EEA pra {elle of | B35 SV ca Seto RE €1sTco Mb (ell 010 LETTER 8.79 - Box of 25 gl I Be Thieves sought by police By Scott Anderson The number of break and en- ter incidents in which cigar- ettes were the sought after com- modity is on the rise, according to Durham Regional Police. Staff Sergeant Bill Van Dole- waard says police have seen "a dramatic increase" in the num- ber of these related incidents recently, not just in the region but across the province. Local incidents have includ- ed Flieler North End Service Station, and the Blackstock General Store. There was also an erroneous report from a lo- cal radio station about a break- in at the IGA store in Port Perry, but store manager Jim Grieve said this was not true. Staff Sergeant Van Dole- waard says most of the inci- dents involve what police term "a smash and grab". The front window is smashed, usually in the early hours of the morning, the thieves grab as many car- tons as possible and escape in a matter of seconds, netting as much as $4,000in one haul. In some incidents he says cartons are found scattered across the parking lot, as the burglars have taken more than they could handle. Part of the reason for the rise in cigarette theft is due to the exhorbitant price for a carton of cigarettes. "Stealing cigarettes are like stealing gold," he says. "They're worth their weight in gold." Mr. Grieve agrees. He says the government is to blame for the recent increase in this t of crime, and points to the fact that it costs approximately $46.68 for a regular carton of cigarettes, while across the bor- der itis approximately $13. Ap- proximately 25 per cent of the Canadian cost is tax. He ques- 'tions "who's really stealing from who?" Another appealing quality about cigarettesis that they are an untraceable item. Once they 30x of 25 TELEPHONE MESSAGE A PINK = 10 1 JN Box of 25 - 8.95 WHITE Box of 10 CORRECTION FLUID 2 85° GUILD STAPLES PERMANENT MARKERS WEDGE OR BULLET POINT 2] VICHC S] Fs Tol SCM 21cYe KN ET eTe]0 i Cigarette thefts increasing are stolen from the store they are next to impossible to trace, and very easy to unload. Staff Sergeant Van Dolewaard says it is easy for the person to go to the local bar or hotel and find many . potential. purchasers willing to pay the reduced price for cartons of cigarettes. Committing a "smash and grab" is not considered a seri- ous offence in the eyes of the courts, and therefore attempt- ing the crime is often worth it. As the crime does not usually involve any victims or violence, the crime is treated as a "vic- timless offence." The penalty for the first offence, he says is usually probation and commu- nity wor Mr. Grieve says he has been lucky that his store has not ex- perienced any cigarette-related thefts, but says there are a number of reasons why. First, there is always a number of staff members in the store 24 hours a day. Second, the store is equipped with a number of so- phisticated alarm systems. He adds that he is also insured against such a loss by insu- rance. This is not the case for all es- tablishments and Paul Flieler can attest to that. On July 9 thieves broke into his Simcoe Street Petro-Canada store and stole an estimated $5,000 worth of cigarettes. He was only insured for $1,000. "It was a $4,000 treat on me," he says. "That's a nice holiday moron: Ww. The ironic" thing about the whole situation is that stores such as Flieler North End Ser- vice Station do not make much of a profit selling the cigarettes. Although he says itis enough to generate a little profit, it is not really worth the problems. he most recent theft has made Mr. Flieler realize that it just doesn't pay to keep a large inventory. says in future he's just going to keep enough onthe shelves. "I'll never keep a lot again." Fun in the Sun' at day camp The holidays are over at Day Camp. Campers enjoyed celebrating Christmas and Hallowe'en in July! Hallowe'en was the favorite holiday as campers dressed up in scary costufifés and enjoyed candy ap- ples for a special treat. This week at Day Camp par- ticipants will have "fun in the sun." Join us as we rock to the Beach Boys, dress up as beach bums, have a sand castle com- petition, make sand candles, and of course have a game of beachball volleyball along with much more. Campers can cool off on Tuesday and Thursday at Bird- seye Pool. This is going to be a great week of fun in the sun. If you have a child who would be in- terested in Day Camp, spaces are still available. To register call 085-7346 or by the Municipal Office on N St. ADVERTISING DEADLINES REAL ESTATE 5:00 P.M. Thursday DISPLAY ADVERTISING 12 NOON MONDAY