by Glenn Taylor
Northern News Services

INUVIK (June 04/97) - Inuvik TV and RCMP are working together to crack down on those who are stealing cable signals.

Two residents were charged with the offence last week. Police were called to a Kingmingya address May 26, to look at a cable TV box that appeared to be tampered with. It was discovered that somebody had broken open the box and attached wires which gave them free cable.

The next day, Inuvik TV called police to report a similar offence at Mountainview Apartments. There, police found that several units had been hooked into free cable.

RCMP Cpl. Rob Gillan said he suspects cable theft in Inuvik is "getting more popular." The police have a list of suspects, but it's a hard charge to prove.

"With the burden on the Crown to prove guilt, you almost have to catch people in the act," said Gillan. "The smoking-gun murders are easy to solve. It's the theft of onions from Bubba's garden that are hard."

Prosecuting offenders is difficult, because offenders hook up a number of other residences besides their own, to throw police off the scent. That may have been the case at Mountainview, said Gillan.

To assist in the investigation, Inuvik RCMP are using Crime Stoppers to catch the criminals. Residents with information on these cases are asked to call anonymously at 1-800-661-0899 for a cash reward.

Police are taking this case seriously. "If you're stealing $70 a month in cable, there's a cumulative dollar value there," said Gillan. "After 10 months, it's like stealing $700 worth of merchandise from Northern Store."

The two suspects charged last week will appear in court shortly, to face charges of theft of communications under the Criminal Code. The offence is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and six months in jail. Gillan said the suspects could also face charges like break and enter of private property