The province having ordered all non-essential businesses to close for two weeks starting Tuesday night, police have issued a series of tips for business owners in an effort to ensure their properties are less attractive to thieves.
- Remove all valuables from storefront displays.
- Remove all cash from tills and leave open with the cash tray out and visibly empty.
- Ensure alarm systems are working and all contact lists are up-to-date.
- Post on doors/windows that the premises are monitored by an alarm company and that no money is kept on the premises. Include the 1-888-310-1122 number to call the OPP should anyone notice a break-in or damage.
- Clean all windows and floors prior to leaving and note when you’ve done so (have a log) as this will help investigators should there be a break-in.
- Consider a surveillance system which can be monitored remotely by phone/online.
- Consider putting a laminate on all windows/glass to discourage and help prevent easy entry.
- Keep some lighting on inside to help with video surveillance and consider lighting on timers if possible.
- Ensure all doors and windows are locked and secure.
- Ensure all exterior lighting is functioning and on – consider motion sensor lights as another option.
- Remove anything on the exterior which could be used to gain entry to your premises (bricks, ladders, poles, construction materials).
- Regularly check the building and keep track of when you check (have a log) but go at different times.
Like your home, if it looks cared for and looks like someone is home or around regularly, thieves will move on to other locations.
MARCH 20
4:10 PM | A Wellington County OPP officer was monitoring traffic and conducting radar on the Eighth Line near Side Road 14. The officer observed a black sedan travelling westbound at a speed that appeared to be well above the posted 80 km/h speed limit. The vehicle was locked on radar in excess of 135 km/h. The driver, a 23-year-old Mapleton Township man, was charged with ‘racing a motor vehicle.’ The defendant is scheduled to appear in Guelph at the Ontario Court of Justice – Provincial Offences Court on July 15. His vehicle and driver’s licence were seized for a period of seven days as per statute.
MARCH 22
8:20 PM | Wellington County OPP responded to a disturbance at a residence on Perry Street in Fergus. Police also received information that a weapon was being brandished at the residence. The investigation resulted in the arrest of two individuals. One person was arrested inside the residence and the second, in the backyard after attempting to escape through a basement window. A subsequent search of the residence resulted in police locating a loaded handgun and a quantity of methamphetamine. A 25-year-old Fergus man and a 25-year-old Toronto man have been charged with ‘Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm, ‘careless storage of a firearm,’ ‘possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose,’ ‘knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm,’ ‘possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm,’ and ‘possession of methamphetamine.’ The Toronto man was also charged with ‘fail to comply with probation order.’ Both were held for a bail hearing.
MARCH 23
5:02 PM | Members of the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s Traffic Unit conducted a traffic stop in the area of Spitzig Road in Woolwich Township. Through investigation police learned that the driver of a tow truck was a suspended driver. As a result, the driver was charged with numerous offences including fail to surrender permit, owner operate no insurance, insecure load. As a result of the investigation, the vehicle was seized for seven days.
6:15 PM | An unknown suspect(s) attended the area of Townsend Drive in Breslau and stole parcels from various homes. Some parcels were taken from front porches, others through open garages. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact police at 519-570-9777.
MARCH 24
3:04 AM | Unknown suspects entered a vehicle that was parked in a driveway on Mockingbird Drive in Elmira. The suspects fled the area after the owner confronted them. The victim did not report a loss. One of the suspects has been described as a white male in his teens. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact police at 519-570-9777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
