EDITORIAL – Cobourg Police have made an arrest after several break and enters in downtown.
Great, amazing, and they should be proud.
But they were given the name of a suspect on September 24, over 10 days before a suspect was arrested.
There has also been at least one break and enter since the name was given to police.
A video of a suspect who looks similar to the person charged was shown to Today’s Northumberland shortly after a break-in on September 24 at a business in downtown.
The break-in surveillance video shows a suspect moving throughout the store in the early morning hours.
Today’s Northumberland had been given a suspects name shortly after the September 24th break-in. That name turned out to be the suspect charged on Friday.
The business owner who had video tracked down a person on the internet and she believed was a suspect involved with her break-in. The video seemed to match and she took the video and gave the name to Cobourg Police.
But the police didn’t make an arrest in that case and eight others until October 5.
It’s unknown if the person charged is also charged in the break and enter that happened on October 3 at a restaurant in the downtown core.
With any investigation police must have evidence to lay a charge. In a number of break-ins there were no video available. But would it be possible to charge a person with one crime, then if further charges warrant, proceed with them?
Cobourg Police also charged a person of the same name on September 1 for entering a home and stealing a jar full of change. It’s unknown if the two people are one in the same, but the one release by police states the suspect is 41-years-old and the other states he is 40-years-old.
Also the one release states the suspect is from Peterborough, while the other says no fixed address.
The suspect has been charged, but is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and the public should always remember that and abide by that.
If the suspect is found guilty of the break-in that occurred after September 24, could the police be on the hook for damages as a result of the break and enter?
Time will tell.
“This investigation has resulted in a successful conclusion due to the combined efforts of uniform patrol, the Cobourg Police Service Forensic Identification Unit, Special Constables all under the direction or the Criminal Investigations section,” states the release.
But it should also credit the store with the video surveillance of a suspect roaming the store and a victim who worked to give police a name.
Another concern is that before the arrest on Friday, Special Constables were ordered to patrol downtown Cobourg during the evening hours.
Special Constables are fine officers and have their place in policing.
But putting them in a position of patrolling an area that has a rash of crimes is unfair to them and possibly puts them in a dangerous situation.
Cobourg Police are short a number of police officers at the service, but replacing them with special constables is not the answer.
Special Constables carry batons, not firearms. The break-ins were property crime and no violence was involved, but given the number of break-ins, it would be a concern for any officer.
Pairing up an officer with a special constable may have been more appropriate than putting two special constables on patrol.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
