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EE HH i= 2- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 3, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Suspects in car thefts are arrested In Courtice Durham Police have arrested and charged three suspects in con- nection with the theft of a van from a Blackstock daycare cen- tre recently. On Oct. 24 three males were seen driving a brown 1991 Plymouth Voyageur van in the Courtice area that matched the descrip- tion of a vehicle stolen from the local daycare two.days earlier, say police. Two Courtice resi- dents, aged 26 and 14, were arrested and charged. A 16-year-old male, who had escaped from a local youth detention centre, was also taken into custody. Police allege the trio dropped off a stolen car in Courtice sometime during the morning of Oct. 22 and stole a grey, still on Hwy. 12, say police. of cash, police say. air of thieves made off with a quantity of cash after robbing two gas station attendants at knife- point last Thursday evening. Durham Regional Police report that two men were seen driving a older blue full-sized Ford car -- 1982 or 1983 Crown Victoria -- into the station's lot around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 29. They sat there for about 10 minutes before driving off northbound Shortly before 9 p.m.the vehicle returned and was parked near the gas bar. Two males got out of the car and entered through the front door. One of the thieves jumped over the counter and put a knife to an atten- dant's throat, demanding money. They were given a small quantity The suspect who jdmped over the possibly a police. on Hwy. 12. pillow case wrapped around hi and was wearing a white, long-sle loose-fitting turtleneck, blue tearaway pants and white sneakers. TA The second suspect was described as a 5'6" white male with a stocky build, wearing a black balaclava over his head. He wore a dark maroon jacket with black shoulder patches and pos- sibly had a darker complexion, say He was carrying a meat cleaver with a five-inch blade, which he con- tinually banged on the counter. A second attendant in the gas sta- tion was punched in the head during the robbery, said police. The two thieves fled the station after the robbery, heading northbound Chuck Mercier speaks to Chamber of Commerce Scugog's top cop lauds community partnership two-door Chev Cavalier By Jeff Mitchell = meeting and saying we will not from the same area. The Port Perry Star 1 a s t accept this, it's not toler- Cavalier was driven to : a. A partnership between w e e k able," he said. Blackstock, where it | Ell 4 : ind ar ant _ WW" "| police and the community t hat "We're fortunate up was dumped for the HEATHER McCRAE/PORT PERRY STAR 1S the most effective they are here... you believe in one means of fighting crime A FALL BEAUTY: When Irv Gibson was cleaningup here, says Scugog the first another, you know what's minivan, police allege. ; > d line of right and wrong, and you Durham Regional ae ~~ dening he's never seen this happen before. Op a p=) [oe )AV,TA Snowmen will be Celebration! 3c LET IT SNOW! November Open House "A Christmas Tradition" ENJOY DOZENS OF GIFT GIVING SPECIALS Mulled Cider ¢» Gourmet Treats all month beginning Nov. 5/98 SETTLEMENT HOUSE SHOPS Chamber of Commerce gathered for a breakfast Nh 183 Queen Street, Port Perry (905) 985-8234 Mon-Thurs & Sat: 9:30am to 5:30pm Fri til 9:00pm Sun Ham to 5:00pm i ¢ like every community has trouble-makers, it is often bandits from outside who perpetrate major crime here, said Insp. Mercier. "When we have bank robbers they're not your neighbours," he told his audience Thursday morn- ing at Haugen's Restaurant. "They're peo- ple who are transient to your community." He said crime has become much more orga- nized and global, with crooks working on a large scale. He cited as an example the robbery at Henshall's clothing store last month; the Queen St. store was virtually emptied by thieves, who likely set up shop some- where in the Toronto area and sold the goods very quickly, said Insp. Mercier. Another example of such organized crime was a group of professional shoplifters who hit Port Perry last summer. They came in on a weekend and stole a massive haul, then made good their escape. But when they came back the following weekend for more, an alert citizen called police, who were able to catch the thieves of the community," said Insp. Mercier. "I see in this commu- nity all the good people standing up all the time Police have charged his perennial bed he came across a blooming surprise Township's top cop. defence live that way." each suspect with 42 in the form of this beautiful white iris. As any gardener Chuck Mercier, against In addition to being counts of theft relating knows, perennials bloom once a year. This iris had Inspector at 26 Division § crime. good neighbours and to vehicles and posses- already graced the garden with her exquisite appearance in Port Perry, told mem- Insp. Mercier While enforcing community sion of stolen property. in the spring. In all the years Mr. Gibson has been gar- bers of the Scugog P- Scugog standards, merchants must be sure to take care of themselves, said Insp. Mercier. Security mea- sures taken each day and night could prevent prop- erty losses and personal injury, he said. He recommended: a That the proper locks and other security mea- sures such as alarms be installed in buildings. There's no sense protect- ing a $200,000 business with a $10 lock, said Insp. Mercier: "It doesn't add up." a Looking out for per- sonal safety. Insp. Mercier said merchants should be careful when leaving work at night to exit by the front door, and avoid being caught in dark alleys. Thieves lying in wait can steal bank deposits or force them- selves into the premises, he said. 0 That proper lighting be installed inside and outside, and that store front windows be kept free of advertising and other clutter. Hold-up men prefer attacking clerks at cash registers out of sight of the street. Above all, business people should be vigilant and not present them- everywhere 20 years as a source and inspiration red-handed. selves and their business- 4 fro ul ! decor o enthisic They were arrested es as potential targets Or country and casual decorating enthiesiasts. . ; ' mn because of the strength said Insp. Mercier. "Bandits are cowards," he said. "They're more afraid of you and being caught, believe it or not, than you are of them."