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Kugluktuk food thefts will raise food prices

Swarm of vandals includes children as young as eight

JANE GEORGE

Food prices are likely to rise even higher in Kugluktuk this winter after thousands of dollars of food brought up by this summer's sealift were vandalized or stolen last month at the co-operative store's warehouse.

In a one week period, from Nov. 11 to 18, the co-op's warehouse was broken into on three different occasions by gangs of vandals, including children as young as eight years, teenagers and adults.

"The first two times were relatively minor - there were just a few people who went in. The third time there was approximately 30 people who went in and they trashed the place," said RCMP constable Dyson Smith. "In addition to stealing various items, they also destroyed some."

The break-ins occurred about 3 a.m. Information regarding the individuals who were involved in the break-ins came from the public and other sources, police said.

"We also executed a search on a residence where we found some food items hidden," Cst. Smith said.

One man was arrested in connection with the co-op break-ins and convicted last week to a total of nine months in jail, six months of it stemming from these most recent break-ins.

Kugluktuk has been overwhelmed with break-ins this autumn. JMS Hardware, the high school, and a number of residences have been hit by burglars.

"Quite often the target has just been money," Cst. Smith said.

Attendance at the local high school is down according to school officials and, according to police, several of the habitually absent students have become involved in criminal activities.

The RCMP had wanted to enforce a curfew of 10 p.m. for youth, starting this summer, but the community has no by-law officers right now able to enforce a curfew.

Meanwhile, some parents don't seem to be helping their children keep the peace.

"There has been some resistance from the parents. We've had some that have made false alibis for their children, saying they were at home all night when, of course, they weren't, and we've also had some parents who had stolen property in their house and they were perfectly aware of it."

Against this background of growing lawlessness in the community, the RCMP has been short-staffed for the past six weeks, down to three members from five.

"But just about every one of these crimes we've been able to solve. Charges may not have been able to be laid, but we have been able to do a lot with what we have," Cst. Smith said.

The RCMP say they would like the community and police to work together more closely to curb the growing incidence of theft and other youth crime before the situation deteriorates even further,

"Making excuses for youth when they're out committing crimes is not in their best interest. It's basically encouraging them to keep up their criminal activities."

Throughout 2004, police have been trying to make progress dealing with Kugluktuk's growing youth crime problem - but it's been a difficult year for the community.

Kugkuktuk lost its historic Catholic church to fire in April, the Anglican pastor and his wife perished in a tragic snowmobile mishap in October, and throughout the year the municipal government has been beset with financial woes and even water quality problems.

And, unfortunately, out-of-control youth are not a new phenomenon in Kugluktuk.

On a single night two years ago in November 2002, nine young residents went on a property crime spree that included theft at the high school and Aboriginal Head Start Centre, vandalism at the elementary school, and an attempted break-in at the First Air building.

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