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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Another downtown Yellowknife business was broken into last Wednesday evening with thieves hitting the newly opened thrift store, Dan's Place.

Dan's Place, a thrift store on Franklin Avenue, was broken into last week. Co-owner of the store, Nancy Hayward, said she plans to tighten up security at the location. - Miranda Scotland/NNSL photo

The suspect broke into the store, which is located in the same building as the Royal Canadian Legion and Headgear, between 6 p.m. and midnight and stole about $600 from the till, according to the store's co-owner Nancy Hayward.

"Break-ins are unfortunately part of doing business in Yellowknife or anywhere," said Hayward. "You just work a little harder."

This is the first time someone has broken into Dan's Place since it opened in March. However, when Hayward ran her catering business out of the basement of the Franklin Avenue building the place was broken into three times. Culprits stole two 52 inch televisions and $700 in those incidents.

Hayward said she has plans to install some security cameras.

"Be prepared to smile when you come into my place because your picture is going to be taken," she said.

Police could not be reached for comment in the latest break-in.

Two weeks ago three businesses in the W.H. Bromley building on Franklin Avenue were broken into with the perpetrator hitting Vixen Hair Den, Rio Tinto Diavik Diamond Mine's head office and Chez Patricia all in one night. The suspect stole a small amount of cash from one of the businesses.

Taiga Yoga was broken into a week prior to that. The suspect took $3,500 worth of inventory from the business.

Judith McNicol, owner of Taiga Yoga, said she is getting frustrated with the state of downtown. There needs to be a greater police presence in the area to help stop crime, like the break-ins, she said.

"I think ya OK it's up to business owners but there is only so much we can do. And I think at a certain point it's kinda of like where are the police? I don't see them. I see municipal enforcement at corners giving people tickets all the time. That's basically all I see and occasionally you see the RCMP with their sirens on zooming out of town but you don't see them downtown," McNicol said.

"I'm not saying the cops can do a whole lot about it but they could be doing something."

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