So many questions – like always with the Cobourg Police Service.
And also like always, little to no communication to resolve the questions.
The latest joke with the service is the theft of over $600 worth of lottery tickets from a local gas station.
It certainly isn’t a joke to the business owners who had to deal with this.
How can staff at these convenience stores trust anyone.
It was a normal day on September 4, but around 5:20 p.m. a suspect walked into the Petro-Canada on Division Street.
Pleasantries were exchanged between the “customer” and the clerk.
As the clerk stepped away from the counter to refill an item, the suspect, captured on security video quickly went behind the counter and grabbed an envelope containing the tickets and dashed out of the store.
Since then, there had been nothing released or reported by Cobourg Police.
But on September 12, the store reached out to Today’s Northumberland who posted the story along with video of the theft.
There has been not a peep from Cobourg Police – until today (September 17, 2025).
Brutal.
Where are the people from the Police Services Board that should be asking the questions.
Chair Adam Bureau
Vice Chair Sean Graham
Members Nicole Beatty, Dean Pepper and Ron Kerr.
What about the other gas stations in town?
Doesn’t anyone think they should be advised at the earliest possible notice?
Why isn’t the Board asking why a released wasn’t issued for nearly two weeks?
Why does this happen time and time again.
If police say, they are investigating and can’t release anything as it may jeopardize the investigation – poppycock.
OPP are also looking for a suspect who stole several lottery tickets from a gas station south of Guelph on August 22.
On September 10, Wellington OPP released video and still images of the suspect that look similar to the one in Cobourg, though it hasn’t been confirmed.
On September 17, 2025 a member of the Toronto media e-mailed the Cobourg Police enquiring about the theft of tickets in Cobourg.
Could it be sheer coincidence, or because a member of a major media organization enquired that a release was issued within an hour or two of the enquiry?
Also on this date, St. Thomas Police Services’ Property Crime Unit issued a release in collaboration with the Aylmer Police Service regarding two suspects they believe are responsible for “multiple” distraction thefts of a “large” denomination of lottery tickets stolen.
Similar to the Cobourg thefts, one male entered the businesses and stole lottery tickets while the attendant was distracted.
The release states the name of the suspects who are from the Greater Toronto Area and currently wanted by eight different police jurisdictions spanning across Ontario and Quebec.
An obvious question would be to if Cobourg was one of those jurisdictions?
And once again, like previous times it seems like that was a waste of time.
An e-mail was sent – but no response.
The Secret Cobourg Police Service strikes again.
This community deserves better communication in a prompt manner.
It’s outright embarrassing.
And why the Board isn’t asking proper questions is just as embarrassing.
It’s been widely said by Bureau that the Board doesn’t control operations within the service.
Noted.
But that doesn’t mean any member of the board can’t ask questions.
That hasn’t been done in recent memory.
People don’t have to agree, people can and should have differences, but communication is paramount with any business or public service.
Not having that communication is only a disservice to the people they serve.
It’s a failure of the service.
Cobourg Police not issuing a timely release of the two thefts that both happened on Division Street is also a disservice.
People want to know what is happening in their community.
Not necessarily that day, but again, in a timely manner.
Nearly two weeks after it happened is next to worthless to release it.
When you have victims coming to the media because of the lack of service from police – someone either on the Board or at the service better wake-up.
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
