By Adam Frisk
A recent surge in break-ins, including two incidents in as many weeks at one location, has local business owners on edge and calling for increased public safety measures.
Kelsey Redman, owner of Redmans Records on Highland Street in Haliburton,said she is now constantly checking the shop’s security cameras remotely after being broken into twice last week, describing a persistent feeling of stress and vulnerability.
“It makes me uneasy to the point I’m checking my security cameras when I’m at home,” the owner shared in a recent interview. “I just find myself randomly checking and then getting stressed out looking at my shop when I’m away, and just thinking it could happen at any time. Like, is a window going to get smashed? Is someone going to break in another way?”
In an emotional video posted to social media, Redman said her shop was robbed on the evening of Oct. 19 and again on Oct. 21.
“I just want to put it out there that my shop… was robbed Sunday night and Tuesday night,” she said in the video. “By the same person, I know who it is. All caught on video, and I’ve heard that there have been more robberies downtown, so I just wanted to spread the word.”
Redman said she provided the security footage to the Ontario Provincial Police. On Oct. 28, police issued an arrest warrant for a 29-year-old resident in connection with three break-ins. The male suspect faces charges of three counts of break and enter and three counts of theft under $5,000.
The arrest warrant came the same day police said a cannabis shop on Highland Street was broken into just before 1 a.m.
“The investigation revealed that sometime overnight, one unidentified individual forcibly entered a property and stole a quantity of cash and cannabis products from the business,” police said in a press release.
Authorities said a suspect was arrested later that day. Police confirmed to The Echo on Thursday that the detained individual was the subject of the arrest warrant related to the three previous break-ins.
Redman said the fact that the suspect who broke into her store was a resident challenges the common assumption that property crimes are solely committed by individuals from outside the community.
“I think often people immediately go to who came in from the city who did things, and the last handful of things I know that have happened have all been people who grew up here,” the owner said.
Redman said the items stolen from the shop included clothing. She speculated on the motive, wondering if the theft was an act of necessity, perhaps for housing or food, but also noted the suspect’s behaviour suggested opportunism.
“I think it’s a mix of things. I think he just knew he had time. So he went shopping and looked through every T-shirt and picked out his size,” she said, adding that the suspect was a previous customer who was familiar with the store’s inventory.
Several businesses said the rash of break-ins had been top of mind for staff last week, with some stores altering how they close up at night.
“We’ve switched a few of our practices, just being a little more diligent with how we close up,” Scott Swaga of Algonquin Outfitters said. “Just being a little smarter with how we lock up and a little safer, like leaving in groups even.”
When asked what might help deter future incidents, Redman pointed directly to the need for municipal-level street cameras. The concern stems from a recent vehicle theft in downtown during lunch hour, where no public video footage was available.
“I just wish there was something in that sense so that there was obvious video proof,” she said, noting her personal security footage was crucial in identifying the suspect in the latest break-in. “My video showed everything.”
