Joseph Mathieu has lately needed to evaluate surveillance footage that no enterprise proprietor needs to see.
It begins with a brick flying via his Montreal hair salon’s window. Mathieu stated the intruder went straight to the money register, cleaned it out and ran off with a few hundred {dollars}.
The footage was captured early Friday morning at Joe et Charlie, situated on Sherbrooke Road, close to Hampton Avenue within the metropolis’s west-end district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG).
Had been insurance coverage not overlaying a few of the price, changing the window would price greater than what was stolen, he stated.
The hair salon shouldn’t be the one enterprise within the space that has been hit by any such break-in lately.
“There have been 4 of us hit in lower than per week so I discover that is fairly alarming that there is so many break-ins,” stated Mathieu.
A few week earlier than, the neighbouring salon, Hairstyle Addict, was additionally damaged into and the proprietor there has since been ramping up safety.
However Deniz Torkani stated he appears like placing some bars on the home windows will not be sufficient.
“They broke that entrance door after which he was in search of the money, however he could not discover it,” stated Torkani. “He took my laptop computer after which another stuff.”
Different victims embrace a Monkland Avenue bakery on Saturday evening and an Italian grocer on Somerled Avenue on Monday morning.
NDG Coun. Peter McQueen stated it has been one factor after one other for native retailers.
“We come out of COVID, inflation. Now there’s this unlucky factor,” stated McQueen. “It could actually occur every now and then — a felony spree.”
In an announcement, the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) confirms there was a rise in break-ins within the space and it’s investigating.
The variety of patrols has been elevated and investigators are on the case.
In the meantime, the SPVM recommends retailer homeowners guarantee their enterprise is properly lit and recommends any visible obstructions like fencing, indicators or bushes be prevented so there is no such thing as a place to cover and it is easy to see into the shop.
Tinted home windows shouldn’t be put in, the assertion says. The enterprise ought to stay lit at evening, a safety system ought to be put in and so ought to a vandal-proof surveillance system, the police say. The SPVM gives different suggestions on this on-line brochure.
Retailers ought to instantly report break-ins to police by calling 911, the assertion says.
