By Glenn Hicks

Emma Lake business hit by thieves again

Oct 19, 2018 | 5:00 PM

A business owner at Emma Lake appears to be fighting a losing battle against rural crime after the second break and enter at his location in recent weeks.

The Marina at Sunset Bay was the target sometime overnight Wednesday, with the well-organized culprits smashing through the front door, making off with various items and raiding the gas.

“The first time I was broken into late last month I had tempered glass on the door, so I put in laminated glass which is really tough like a windshield,” owner-operator Lawrence Minshull told paNOW. “They did even more damage coming through, so sometimes you wonder when you protect yourself if it’s worth it?”

Minshull said the culprits took a debit card terminal, went through all the drawers and cupboards and broke into the till, but clearly the gasoline was a prime focus.

“They deactivated the safety switches and cut all the locks on the tanks and pumps,” he said. “They were prepared, because they came with spray paint and blackened out the lights so people couldn’t see that the pump was on.”

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Minshull’s experience, and a loss of about $1,500 in stolen goods, is the latest in a growing rural crime trend. He reported it to police but acknowledges there’s only so much they can do to tackle crime in remote rural locations.

“They advised I perhaps set up trail cameras so maybe I can capture images of the vehicle or the suspects,” he said.

Rob King, a spokesperson for the RCMP in Saskatchewan said they want to hear as much as they can from the public.

“We want a community that is engaged and calls us with anything suspicious or that just doesn’t feel right,” he said. “Make whatever you have more difficult to steal and when you’ve done all you can, positioning trail cameras can give us something to work with if you are a victim of crime.”

In the meantime Minshull thinks it’s important for people to share their stories.

“The more it’s put out there it means it’s not brushed under the rug and it lets the public know we’re getting hit hard here. People need to be aware. But we have people having their cars stolen from their garages while they’re asleep, so what can you do?” he said.

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow