by Ian Elliot
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 09/98) - Leaving one's car running in the depths of a Yellowknife winter is standard operating procedure when it's 30 below zero, but it can be hazardous, as a woman discovered on Saturday.

Police say the woman left her car running with the doors unlocked while she popped inside the Scotia Centre Mall in downtown Yellowknife. When she emerged, she discovered someone had got into her car, driven it a short distance down the street and departed with her purse.

Police are continuing to investigate, but say the woman lost her identification, cheques and a small amount of cash.

The previous week, a Yellowknife resident had a car stolen from his driveway while letting the car warm up for 20 minutes one morning.

Inconvenient shopping

Last Friday night, Mounties were called to the Corner Mart on Franklin Avenue after staff reported that a customer had become angry with one of the workers there and threatened to damage the person's car.

Police defused the situation, and the matter was settled without charges being laid.

Not drunk

Police are reminding residents that it is a crime to call in false crime reports. The reminder comes after they responded to an anonymous report of a drunk driver leaving a local bar last Friday night.

Police began searching for the vehicle and when they found it, determined that the driver had not been drinking and that the complaint was false.

RCMP said that a person can be charged for causing police to mount an investigation when no crime has been committed.

Drug bust

A man who police say was stopped outside the Corner Mart early Monday morning with an open bottle of liquor in his hand was charged with a number of drug offences. Police say their search uncovered three grams of cannabis resin and a gram of marijuana. The man will appear in court next month.