Yellowknife (Nov 01/06) - The caregiver of a one-year-old child was given a warning by RCMP after a patrol spotted the child unattended in a vehicle.

The caregiver had left the child asleep in a car seat while running an errand at a business.

"It may seem easier if they're asleep to leave them be, but it's against the law to leave children unattended in vehicles," said RCMP Const. Roxanne Dreilich, adding that it's particularly dangerous in cold weather.

Phoney money

Some counterfeit $50 bills were used to buy electronic equipment last week. The person who accepted the fake bills has a visual impairment and did not know the money was phoney until it came time to deposit it.

A counterfeit $20 turned up two weeks ago at Pizza Hut, but Const. Dreilich said getting one report of counterfeits bills a week is not unusual.

She said identifying counterfeit money takes some training and experience.

"Nine out of 10 times, it's young clerks accepting them," she said.

Also, older series bills can become so worn that the security features fade and they're sometimes mistaken for counterfeit.

Const. Dreilich said there are online resources through the Bank of Canada as well as the RCMP allowing store owners and employees to educate themselves on what security features to check.

Victim comes forward

There were three reports of sexual assault last week. One case is what the courts and police term "historic," meaning an adult has come forward to report having been sexually assaulted as a child.

Const. Dreilich said it was possible that publicity surrounding the sentencing of a Yellowknife pedophile last week in another historic sex abuse case could have spurred the victim to report the abuse.

"Publicity can certainly have an influence," she said.

Dreilich said complainants can be assured that "their cases will be handled with as much sensitivity as possible."

Have you locked your car lately?

There were 15 reports of theft of property under $5,000 last week - four of them involved items taken from unlocked vehicles. In one case, the culprit turned out to be an acquaintance of the vehicle's owner. The property was returned and no charges were laid.

RCMP suggest thefts from unlocked vehicles can be easily prevented by using the locks.