The members of the cooperative deplored the damage from a first theft committed last July. The suspects ripped the lock off the door of the convenience store to steal cigarettes. They put their loot, worth around $10,000, in plastic bins and fled.
“The events that occurred were recorded using surveillance cameras, but the suspects were wearing balaclavas. The exterior cameras did not allow us to get our hands on images of a license plate,” tells us the president of the coop, Pierre Raymond.
The locks were changed and the damage immediately repaired, but to the great dismay, criminals returned to the same business three weeks later. They broke down the door, since this time it was impossible to remove the lock. They stole approximately $4,500 worth of cigarettes.
“So we installed a steel mesh at the main door. We changed two more locks, adding cameras inside and outside.”
— Pierre Raymond, president of the Coop In the heart of the village
A third break-in occurred in the early morning of Wednesday January 22, around 2:45 a.m. This time, the thieves managed to enter the business through a window, we are told. The authorities were alerted and the president went to the scene within the hour that followed.
A window was broken. (Stéphane Champagne/La Voix de l’Est)
“The police and security people told us that it is unlikely that criminals would get through a window. The risks of injury are greater and it is more difficult to remove the stolen goods,” admits Pierre Raymond.
Obviously, we no longer find cigarettes on the stalls every evening. The thieves then took a collection of alcohol bottles placed near the cash register, precisely, to prevent any shoplifting during opening hours. They also left with a laptop. The total value of the effects would exceed $1,000, according to the president’s estimate.
-“It’s already destabilizing to see break-ins committed in a business, but three in six months is very annoying. It’s just discouraging.”
— Pierre Raymond, about the three thefts committed in six months
Huge costs
The cooperative has a $5,000 insurance deductible. She loses this amount following each theft, not counting the repairs and the installation of an alarm system, which alone represent an investment of $7,000 to $8,000. The collective enterprise can no longer make ends meet.
“We don’t need this spending. But beyond that, it’s discouraging to see people repeatedly stealing from our business, especially since it’s a cooperative organization.”
The costs linked to damage and theft are considerable for the cooperative. (Stéphane Champagne/La Voix de l’Est)
Yes, law enforcement was informed and reports were completed. This time, according to the president of the coop, security cameras installed outside captured images of a car which appears to be known to the authorities.
At the village convenience store, we hope that this evidence leads to something. For its part, the Sûreté du Québec confirms that the investigation is continuing.
