Yellowknife (Nov 05/04) - Oh the weather outside is frightful, unless you are a snowmobile enthusiast.

Every year I am amazed by the number of snow machines around town. These are expensive toys with expensive parts and expensive operation costs. But we must have these expensive toys to get through our 10 months of winter.

Year after year, the RCMP detachment is bombarded with complaints of snowmobiles being taken from their rightful owners. And every year almost all of the snowmobiles that are returned are far from the machines that were taken from their rightful owners.

The snowmobiles are being taken by people who want the excitement of a joyride and could care less about your $14,000 sled.

Guess what? Your sled is now damaged, seized engine, broken, or maybe even burnt.

You have to be responsible for ensuring your snowmobile is safe and secure: locked up, out of gas, track lock, override switch, beltless and sparkplug-less.

This sounds ridiculous, but experience shows that thieves bring their own gas, spare belts, spare sparkplugs and bolt cutters to cut your chain.

The thieves know how to hotwire the ignition and most likely know how to override your override switch.

What's the answer?

You tell me. Better still, tell all of your snowmobiling friends.

The endless cycle of stolen snowmobiles has to stop. The community, along with RCMP, can achieve this goal.

We have to take ownership of this problem. We have to notice strangers or suspicious people in our neighbourhoods.

We have to take notice of suspicious activity in our neighbours' yards. We have to notice the suspicious person -- the lookout man -- standing six feet out on the street.

We have to get to know them when you're suspicious. Don't wait until the snowmobile is being driven away.

This is too late! Get as much detail as possible to assist the police. It is important!

When you see something suspicious in your neighbour's yard, call the police, then call your neighbour.

Take ownership of this problem! Safe communities come from safe neighbourhoods and safe neighbourhoods come from safe neighbours.

Let's stop the cycle.

- Trevor Shea is a constable with the Inuvik RCMP