Timmins police are looking for some help from the public, as officers investigate robbery at a local convenience store.
At 10:20 p.m. on June 9, police officials said the department got a call from Tiffany's Variety Store, indicating a man had threatened a clerk with a weapon and demanded funds from the cash register.
An undisclosed amount of money was taken, and the suspect then fled the store.
Tiffany's Variety has been a staple of the south side of Timmins for years. The store is a cornerstone of a quiet suburb in the Wende Avenue area.
According to employees, Friday night wasn't the first time this store has been robbed, and it's far from the only business in Timmins to deal with smash and grab armed robberies.
"In 2016, there were 16 robberies, nine of them being store robberies, in 2017 so far there have been seven robberies, including Friday night's incident,” said Kate Cantin, Timmins Police Service communications coordinator.
The suspect was caught on camera, but Timmins police have been unable to catch the man.
The suspect is described as a Caucasian male, approximately 5’6” – 5’7” tall, with a thin build, dark eyebrows, and approximately 18-20 years old.
He was wearing a light grey hooded sweatshirt with black lettering or symbols, black pants, black socks, as well as a black item covering his face and a black hat.
While an undisclosed amount of cash was stolen, police said the employee behind the counter did everything right.
"Remaining calm is a big one,” said Cantin.
“Don't try and argue with or fight off the perpetrator. Comply with their request, give the person what they want. After the person leaves the store, it's important to lock all of the doors, so that no one else can enter and don't touch anything, so the crime scene is preserved."
Police also recommend carrying a limited amount of cash in the register, making sure the store is well lit, and keeping the register as far away from the door as possible.
"Silent panic switches, by the counter and even in the back, so they can silently summon the police, along with that obviously having some high definition cameras, especially at the door and wherever possible at face level so you can have some identification,” explained Gilbert Fortin, Allied Security.
CTV spoke with eight store owners, who weren't willing to appear on camera. Seven of those stores have been robbed, some of them more than once. Each has its own security system and keeps a minimal amount of cash on hand.
