(TEMAGAMI, ON) – One of the biggest areas of concern in the Municipality of Temagami is the increase of cottage break and enters, thefts, and damage that have occurred this year.

The Temiskaming and Temagami Detachments of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) along with the Temagami Lakes Association and the Temagami Lake Watch Program are working together to reduce these crimes.

Cottage break and enters, damage and theft are serious concerns impacting police, cottage owners, the cottagers association and insurance companies.  The OPP encourages crime prevention at the cottage in support of local cottagers’ associations and Cottage Watch initiatives across Ontario.

Local residents can assist police.  All suspicious matters need to be reported and obtain as much information as a possible.  This includes physical descriptions, clothing descriptions, vehicle descriptions (licence plate), island numbers and the area where they were last seen.  Note the direction that the suspects are heading.

Operation Identification is a property marking initiative designed to help discourage the theft of valuables by facilitating the identification of recovered stolen property. Thieves like to target the easy to carry items so that it doesn’t hinder their movement.

One easy way to help discourage theft of these items is to etch them with an identifying number such as your vehicle licence plate number or to use a tool similar to the TRACE pen.  This pen is a personal anti-theft marking system which helps individuals protect their property.  TRACE pens have tiny discs, about the size of a grain of sand and each hold a unique personal identification number, linking your property to you within a global database.  The use of the TRACE pen allows police to positively identify when an item is stolen, when labelled with the TRACE pen.   This anti-theft tool is already being utilized in the Temagami area and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police approves and supports its use with the goal of reducing property theft in Ontario.

The cottagers association encourages cottage owners to use these pens, to assist Police in locating your stolen items.  When you identify your property with the TRACE pen, police are then able to access the database when they suspect property is stolen.

In association with this, it is always a good idea to copy down a list of the serial numbers of all electronic devices, tools, generators and to keep this list in a secure area as these numbers can assist in investigations.

These are just a few of the many suggestions in helping preventing crime and keeping your property safe.

Remember to assure your safety at all times.  Contact police immediately and do not tamper with the crime scene as valuable evidence can be lost.

Please visit the OPP website for more information on Operation Identification or Safeguard Ontario Property Security Program for helpful tips to safeguard your home and secure your property at:  www.opp.ca or contact your local detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.

The Crime Stoppers Civilian Board of Directors will pay up to $2000 for any information leading to an arrest.  Callers do not have to give their name and do not have to testify in court.  Calls are never traced or taped.  Call the Tri-Town Region Inc. Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.  (TIPS)

Contact

Constable Jennifer SMITH

Community Safety Officer

Temiskaming Ontario Provincial Police

Phone: (705) 647-8400

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Cpl. Kevin Krygier, in charge of crime prevention with the Richmond detachment, said he’s now preparing a business case for city hall to approve a pilot project so the RCMP can hand out property tagging kits to residents in break-in hotspots around the city.

Over the long term, police want to encourage residents to start proactively marking their valuables by buying their own kits.

“Not that long ago, we would give people an engraver and ask them to engrave their property … (but) you don’t want to scratch up your brand new Apple computer,” Krygier said on Monday.

One concern was figuring out what people should engrave on there to prove their ownership. Serial numbers were fine, but it wasn’t realistic to expect everyone to check their valuables’ serial numbers — if they even have them — and engrave them. Engraving your personal driver’s licence number was another option.

The new technology, micro etching, simplifies that process. The company RCMP have contacted use a glue pen tool where the invisible adhesive is filled with numerous tiny pieces of metal — each engraved with a single serial number unique to the pen, which can mark up to 50 things — that can be dabbed onto personal items.

The serial numbers are registered with the company in a database that police have access to. And whenever stolen property is recovered, police can use special equipment to identify if the property was tagged, and if so, what the pen’s serial number was.

The product also comes with a door sticker — similar to those used by alarm companies — to warn criminals the property they’re about to steal has been marked.

“This product has been endorsed by the Ontario chiefs of police … traditionally, there’s a reliance on police to solve crime, I get that, but at the end of the day it’s also a partnership with the community to help themselves to prevent crime,” Krygier said.

Tom Pate, vice president of operations with Trace Identified — the company RCMP have contacted — said approximately 20 police agencies in Ontario and Alberta have adopted the technology.

“To the naked eye they’re invisible. Unless you went crazy with the adhesive and made a bump, you wouldn’t feel it — it goes on like a film and sticks to the surface and the microdots are embedded in the resin,” he said.

“Australia, South Africa and the U.K., they’ve been using this for over the past 15 years. They’ve got success stories of crime reduction of 50% — improving the chances of getting the product returned of 50-90% depending on where it is.”

Read the story at 24hrs.ca

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