'Classic smash and grab': Regina restaurants out thousands of dollars following string of break-ins, thefts
It’s been an expensive few weeks for some locally owned businesses in Regina as they deal with an increase in break-ins and thefts.
Glenn Valgardson, the owner of Pile O’ Bones Brewing, said his business has been broken into four times in five weeks.
Each time, he said the group has smashed the same window during the middle of the night.
“It’s a classic smash and grab. They get in, they get out. Whatever is in the way just hits the floor,” Valgardson said.
He said they mostly steal bottles of liquor and end up smashing glassware in the process.
The cost of the break-ins is adding up.
“The monetary value of the alcohol isn’t really anything, we’re under $500. But it’s all the infrastructure that gets broken around it. Just in glass alone we’re around $10,000,” he said.
The first two times he didn’t think much of it, but Valgardson said after the fourth occurrence he realized the business was being targeted.
“It’s just frustrating. We’re not the only ones around. There’s been a lot of local businesses that have been hit,” he said.
One of the other local businesses that has had a similar experience is O’Hanlon’s.
Andrew Shanks, the general manager, said the pub has been broken into three times since mid-July.
“Everybody is getting hit. We’re not too sure why or what’s going on but it’s been annoying to deal with,” Shanks said.
“I’ll have worked here 12 years in October and I have not experienced a break-in up until this past July.”
Like at Pile O’Bones, Shanks said each time the thieves take a few bottles of liquor from behind the bar.
“They found a weak point in one of our windows, smashed it and come in. [They take] four or five bottles maybe. I’m not sure what the value of that is - maybe a couple of hundred bucks of liquor,” he said.
Andrew Shanks, the general manager of O’Hanlon’s, shows the shelf of liquor that has been restocked three times since July due to theft. (StefanieDavis/CTVNews)
“They’re pretty much causing four or five times more in damage getting in than what they’re getting in value from what they’re taking.”
After a tough few years for local businesses, Shanks said it’s frustrating to now be dealing with this.
“Dealing with this once, whatever, it happens. But for this to be an ongoing thing and for it to be affecting so many places is really annoying,” he said.
“It’s not something anybody needs in general, but especially not right now.”
Both Pile O’Bones and O’Hanlon’s have video surveillance of the incidents and believe it’s the same group of people targeting both businesses each time.
To put a stop to the thefts, both businesses have installed thicker glass in their windows which has proven to be effective so far.
“The glass we have in there is a lot more durable in case this happens again,” Shanks said.
“They have been back since we’ve gotten this new glass and thankfully they weren’t able to get through.”
Other Regina businesses including Bar Willow Eatery, Takeaway Gourmet and Victoria’s Tavern have posted on social media reporting break-ins recently.
“Thankfully no one was hurt and not much stolen, just a big old expensive mess to clean up,” Bar Willow Eatery posted on Facebook earlier this week.
The Regina Police Service is investigating and said 10 similar business break and enters were reported between June 23 and Sept. 12.
“[They] have some similarities to each other in that most of them are in the downtown area or in the immediate vacuity adjacent to downtown. There are also some similarities in the way that these businesses were entered, most of them by windows being broken by suspect(s). The other similarity is that most of these have occurred in the early morning hours,” Elizabeth Popowich, a spokesperson for the Regina Police Services, said.
Despite the similarities, Popowich said investigators have to remain open to the possibility that they’re all separate incidents.
“They’re also approaching each of them as a separate investigation,” she said.
“If we’re going to show a link between cases it has to be through evidence and investigation, not just speculation.”
By identifying suspects in one case, Popowich said police hope to conclude more than one investigation.
Anyone with information on any incident can contact police.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
NEW 'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.