Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Cape Dorset (Oct 14/02) - Idle children who have been busting lights used to illuminate the Cape Dorset runway have been caught.

Several local children, ranging between the ages of 5 and 11, have been kicking out the threshold lights on a regular basis over the past few months.

But thanks to assistance from the RCMP and bylaw officers, the six young culprits were apprehended on Sept. 13 before any serious accidents occurred.

Senior Administrative Officer Art Stewart said not only did the vandals pose a threat to planes attempting to land at Cape Dorset, but to their own safety as well.

"The lights can be turned on by the jets flying overhead to Europe.

"But if somebody happened to be touching the runway light at the time, there is a good chance that they would be electrocuted because there is 600 volts of power coming through them and the kids were actually breaking the lights with their feet," he said.

The hamlet held a public meeting to inform parents of the danger and asked them to educate their children.

After the RCMP and bylaw began monitoring the airport 24-hours a day, the culprits were captured.

"We increased the patrols of the airport and found out who was doing what," said Cpl. Chris Willis of the Cape Dorset RCMP.

No charges were laid under the Young Offenders Act. Instead, Willis said officers gave them a stern warning not to do it again and explained all the potentially dangerous outcomes of their actions.

The lights have not been damaged over the past few weeks, but Stewart plans to inform other hamlets about the problem during the Baffin Mayor's and Leaders Forum this week.

"It's something that could possibly come up again and if kids can do it here, they can certainly do it in other places as well.

"Perhaps other hamlets can nip it in the bud and warn the kids about how serious it is," he said.

The RCMP has also been visiting local schools to explain the repercussions of destructive behaviour.