Break and enter leaves rural family feeling violated

She said upon walking in the front door, re-usable grocery bags were tossed everywhere. In the kitchen, a basket of oven mitts and assorted kitchen utensils were scattered about.

Their 15-year-old son also was affected. Jamie said he isn’t one to break-down into tears, but seeing his home in the state it was in was too much to handle.

A neighbour was watching the White’s house and feeding their pets. Jamie said the neighbour never told them their house had been broken into while they were gone, something Dawn chalked up as an honest mistake.

“When he walked into our house, if he had walked into it the way we walked in, he would have thought we left in a hurry and didn’t totally clean up the house,” she said. “Unless you actually walked into the rooms, seeing our room was a big mess. If he didn’t go into our room he never would have known.”

The family is now trying to pick up the pieces. Each day more items turn up missing but they’re in the process of dealing with insurance claims to replace what was stolen.

Unsure if new government measures will help

As part of eight recommendations made by the provincial Caucus Committee on Crime Reduction, a team was put together consisting of roughly 260 law enforcement officers. A combination of conservation officers and highway patrol would have the powers to make arrests and respond to calls in rural areas.

Jamie said the new team is a good step, but he doesn’t know if its enough to prevent experiences like theirs.

“Given the distance we are from any sort of precinct or station… it’s to the point where these people know they have that time to do what they need to do before anyone gets there,” Jamie said. “I don’t know if there’s much the police could do.”

Jamie said the family’s home is about five minutes away from an RCMP detachment in Sturgeon Lake, and about 15 to 20 minutes away from the detachment in Shellbrook.

Multiple break-ins push family to consider moving

This isn’t the first time the family had experienced a break and enter. Six years ago, their house had been broken into when Dawn and Jamie had gone off to work, and their children were at school.

Following the first break-in, the family had a security system installed and got a dog which is both a family pet and a theft deterrent.

The White family’s dog was at home and being monitored by their neighbour during the most recent break-in but the family suspects the thieves used treats to distract their dogs.

“We checked [our dog] all over; he wasn’t broken, there wasn’t marks all over. We don’t think he’s attacking,” Dawn said.

For Dawn, the most recent break-in is “the last straw.” The family had moved from Toronto eight years ago, and she said it’s been a struggle ever since. Now the family is considering moving back to Ontario.

“We wanna get out of that area. We’re hoping it pans out for us but we might just be totally moving out of Saskatchewan,” Dawn said. “I don’t feel safe; I don’t want my kids to feel unsafe.”

Jamie said the area where the home is has been the victim of a small rash of crimes, including a break and enter at a neighbouring property.

RCMP confirmed the area north of Holbein has been the source of many small crimes particularly over the summer. To combat the crimes, RCMP have targeted a few groups and individuals in the area and have made arrests, which has slowed the crime rate down, but hasn’t completely stopped criminals from operating.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas

by Bryan Eneas

Break and enter leaves rural family feeling violated

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