WARMINGTON: Latest smash-and-grab robbery puts Mississauga jewelry store out of business

· Toronto Sun

Diamonds may be for life, but that life is over for this Mississauga store that is famous for selling them.

Robbers didn’t just get six figures worth of this store’s jewelry, but they put them out of business, too. The masked individuals were not only stealing gold and diamonds from hard-working business owners who employed people, but were stealing their jobs from them, too.

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When it comes to smash-and-grab robberies for necklaces, rings, bracelets and watches, four times is not a charm for this popular jewelry store. In fact, the Toronto Sun has learned the beloved Charm Diamond Centres location at the Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga has waved the white flag by deciding to shut down this location after decades in business.

They are packing up whatever is left of their inventory and will lock the doors for good on Thursday.

Fourth robbery at store in 15 months

The store has been hit by smash and grab-style robberies by armed masked bandits four times in the last 15 months. It won’t happen again. They decided it isn’t worth it anymore. They are not going to stay there and be sitting ducks for criminals who know that even if they are caught, they are out on bail in a day.

“It’s just too dangerous now ,” said an employee of the family-owned Canadian jewelry chain based in Dartmouth, N.S., that has retail outlets across the country. “It’s just a matter of time before somebody gets hurt.”

During the last robbery, a bandit tried to force two women into the back storeroom, which was stopped by a clerk at a neighbouring store. One woman was found on her hands and knees praying. It’s a lot to ask of these employees or unarmed security guards who face masked robbers armed with hammers and bear spray.

“We were coming to work wondering if today was the day, again,” said a staffer. “It made for a very nervous workplace where we are always looking over our shoulder.”

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Victims paying the price, not the criminals

Many are now losing their job. Charm has offered them other work, but many of the employees live near this mall, which makes it hard to transfer to another location.

Congratulations, Canada. This is a dark day . What kind of country has this one turned into? The kind of country where robbers stay in business and their victims don’t.

While leaders in Ottawa worry about the CEO of Air Canada delivering his message of grief on the New York City plane crash in both official languages and taxpayers shell out $380 million for Toronto to host five FIFA World Cup soccer games, the basics of life, commerce and freedom are being eliminated before our eyes.

Toronto Police are starting to carry loaded rifles as part of their patrols because they worry about the firepower of criminals who rarely pay for any of their crimes. Meanwhile, everybody else pays. In this case, crime does pay and victims foot the bill. It’s an upside-down world and the people who are elected to have an answer don’t seem to have one.

Lord knows they don’t catch many of these thugs and when they do they don’t throw the book at them like they would at political prisoners like Tamara Lich, Chris Barber or former MPP Randy Hillier. The gutless cowards who rob mostly unarmed female retail store employees don’t feel the wrath of a system that holds nothing back when someone speaks out against governments that have caused the out-of-control lawlessness.

Speed is a jewelry robber’s friend

Scott Hayes, a crime prevention co-ordinator for the Jeweller’s Vigilance Council, has been working with police and store owners to try to slow down the smash-and-grab trend, but calls it a “difficult problem” with no easy answers. Stores can take measures to make it more difficult for the bad guys, but at the end of the day customers want to see the jewelry and want to try things on.

This means organized crime groups know they have “high-value” and “lucrative” commodities at the ready since “metals like gold” can be melted down easily and a criminal can have something worth thousands of dollars quickly in the palm of their hand.

“Speed is their friend,” said Hayes.

They can get into a place and escape in 90 seconds – and often the culprits are already gone before a 911 call is answered. Hayes said that many times these crimes are done by youths answering a call from an app and don’t even know the other people they are working with — it’s all set up by a co-ordinator who pays them and then disappears.

What they leave behind is not only shattered glass, but shattered lives as well. Not everybody can deal with this kind of trauma easily. Some stores are saying it’s not worth it, said Hayes.

This is the second Erin Mills jeweler to close and another in Oshawa just gave up as well. What’s the point? The criminals are winning while the stores they victimize are closing.

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