Thessalon OPP investigating multiple break and enters totalling more than $34,000

SUDBURY -- A rash of break and enters in the last month in the Thessalon area have the Ontario Provincial Police warning the public to take extra care in securing their property.

The thefts include one that took place sometime between July 1 and Aug. 15 at a sugar bush camp near Duff and Ansonia Roads in Plummer Additional Township where two Champion generators, Husqvarna chainsaw, tool chest, tools, chains and a pipe wrench worth $3,600 were stolen.

The biggest single case involves more than $25,000 in heavy equipment stolen between 8:30 p.m. Aug. 15 and 6:30 a.m. Aug. 16 from a worksite on Hwy 129 in Daigle Township near the Stoney Creek culvert, about 75 kilometres north of Thessalon.

A long list of items were taken, including a cargo trailer, a 2001 CAT generator, various drills and other equipment.

And between July 31 and Aug. 6, a maple syrup business in the area of Desbarats Lake Road in Johnson Township was robbed of more than $5,200 in equipment, including stoves and a syrup pump.

Anyone with information regarding the thefts is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or their nearest police authority. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit information online at www.p3tips.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

The OPP also provided several tips for preventing break and enters, including:

• Keep your eyes and ears open for suspicious vehicles and persons in the area of your residence/seasonal homes/businesses. Do not confront possible suspects.
• Record the licence numbers and description of suspicious vehicles.
• Record detailed descriptions of occupants of suspicious vehicles.
• Report your concerns and observations immediately to the Ontario Provincial Police Communications Centre at 1-888-310-1122. Provide your municipal address and your "911" number.
• Make "would-be" thieves visible, install motion lights or leave an exterior light on to illuminate entrance ways and rear yards.
• Don't hide keys in secret places. Instead leave a duplicate with a friend or neighbour.
• Lock your doors and secure any open windows prior to retiring for the evening or leaving your business.
• Borrow an engraver from your local OPP Detachment to engrave your valuable belongings. This may discourage theft of valuables and will provide an easy way to identify stolen property.
• Use a personal identification mark such as your driver's licence number when engraving your property.
• Record the contents of your home, cottage or business on paper or using a video camera.
• Record the serial numbers of your property.
• Remove expensive articles from your secondary home, cottage or business when away for extended periods of time.
• Don't leave articles out, such as axes and tools that could be used to assist in breaking into your residence.
• Establish relationships with neighbours and check on each other's property when away.
• Lock and secure your property and outside belongings.
• Invest in an alarm system and/or trail camera.
• If you are away, make sure that your residence looks like it is occupied. Have the sidewalks shovelled, the mail collected, and the grass cut. Make use timers to have lights coming on and going off at different intervals.
• Have someone check on your seasonal properties and businesses.
• Avoid posting on social media sites when you are away from your residence.

"If you discover a break and enter, please contact the OPP immediately at 1-888-310-1122," police said. "Do not enter your property as valuable evidence may be disturbed."