Around 4:00 am on Jan. 22, Michael Roy was awakened by his border collie, JJ. The dog was growling and "bearing his teeth" at the bedroom door, and when Roy asked what was the matter, he got an unusual response.
"He immediately jumped into my bed, which he has never done before," he said. "He was shaking and looked scared."
Sensing that something was amiss, Roy got up, armed himself with a baseball bat, and "marched down the hallway towards the front door." It was then that he realized what had happened.
"There were snowy boot prints in the entrance and kitchen, both doors were wide open and damaged," he said. "I noticed two sets of footprints in the snow, both coming and going from the porch door.
"I immediately called 9-11."
Roy is one of a growing list of Hay River residents to experience a break-in recently. Many others have had strangers enter their homes and businesses, oftentimes by breaking doors and windows. Cars have also become an easy target for local thieves — something Kimberly Ann Coleman learned the hard way.
"My car was completely in trashed inside," she said. "I’ve lived in Hay River my whole life. I was born here, and I’m 45 years old. I have never, ever, ever been uncomfortable [until recently]... I laughed at people who got cameras and locked their doors at night, cause that’s not how I grew up."
Roy and Coleman both agree that the recent string of break-ins in town are fuelled by drug addiction, which the former likened to "an epidemic." Both also agree that the local RCMP are doing their best to get a handle on the situation.
"The RCMP were at my door within five minutes of my call to 911," said Roy. "The constable was quite diligent in his investigation of my premises and followed up by walking around the neighbourhood with one of his co-workers."
Coleman added that she wanted to give the local police "props" for their hard work.
"They really are doing all they can," she said. "Their job must be exhausting, and the frustration shows in the officers as well."
Some residents believe that the best way to deal with the surge of break-ins in town is by taking matters into their own hands. In fact, the community is now home to an increasingly well-organized neighbourhood watch.The group, of which Coleman is a member, has come up with a number of interesting ideas that they believe could improve the situation.
One such idea, brought forth by a concerned resident, is a car alarm alert system. The premise is pretty simple: residents agree to take shifts watching the streets from inside their homes at night. If they see anything suspicious — for example, Coleman recently had some people creeping around her shed — they sound their car alarm. Any resident that hears the alarm then sounds their own, altering anyone else in ear-shot that something unusual is afoot.
"We had a test of the system last Sunday [Feb. 2] where we reached out to everybody to hit their alarms," said Coleman. "In my neighbourhood, it was crazy. There was so many people hitting them. The premise of that is, we’re watching you, we’re not scared of you, and if any of us see you, we’re going to hit the alarm — in the middle of the night, the middle of the day, whatever. We’re hoping it catches on."
Coleman is optimistic the system could be useful as long as everybody pitches in.
"Effort in, results out," she said. "Programs like this are great if everybody’s on board."
Roy, however, isn't sure, contending that "there is not much that can be done, actually." The problem, he worries, is that "criminals are not held accountable by our judicial system as a whole."
Coleman agrees with that position to a degree, and noted that the neighbourhood watch is actually working on a plan they hope will change that.
"We’re going to get people to present impact statements during sentencing," she said. “We’re hoping to fill the [court room] gallery with 10 to 20 people when there is sentencing. Maybe that will [show] that we’re not dealing with this anymore, and hopefully the justice system sees that and doesn’t use the revolving door so much.
"If we don’t stand up as a community, we’re going to continue to get knocked down."
