Yellowknife (Dec 08/06) - Sneaky thieves busted into the Mad Trapper again, stealing alcohol and causing mischief.

The break-in occurred on Nov. 30, in the few hours between closing at 2 a.m. and when the cleaners came into work at 7 a.m.

Bar manager Greg Connell said the damage was noticeable right away.

"I got the call from the cleaners at 7 a.m. It looked like the thieves came in through the back door," said Connell.

From looking at damages in the bar, Connell said the thieves broke every door with a lock in the bar and even pilfered a vending machine looking for coins.

"The vending machine was broken, the change was gone, but there was no money on site," explained Connell.

The bar's liquor stash was also raided, said Connell.

"There were approximately 20 bottles of hard liquor that was taken," he said.

Connell is concerned that if the crimes aren't stopped, it may soon be residences that are targeted.

"I feel that as a community, we need to get together to prevent this activity," said Connell. "Before you know it, they will be breaking into houses and people might get hurt."

The first incident happened on Nov. 16, but the thieves were scared off by cleaners before any damage could be done.

Connell said the bar opened on time after both incidents, but costly repairs had to be made.

"We had to replace doors and locks, which gets expensive," said Connell.

Inuvik RCMP Staff Sgt. Sid Gray could not comment on the matter because it is still under investigation.

"We are still in the process of finding out the damage to the bar," said Gray. "The RCMP are dealing with quite a few break-ins right now, there is a lot on our plate."

Gray said more information about the incident will be released at a later date.