Incident 1: On Tuesday, November 11, at around 8:30 p.m., Durham Regional Police responded to a robbery at Paris Jewellers inside Oshawa Centre located at 419 King Street West. The two male suspects entered the retail jewellery store wearing masks, smashed open the showcases, and removed an unknown value of jewellery stock before fleeing in a stolen vehicle. No physical injuries have been reported, and Durham Regional Police are investigating.

Incident 2: At around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12, an unknown number of people attempted to break their way through the storefront of a retail jewellery store located near York Mills Road and Leslie Street. The front glass had recently been reinforced with laminate film, which helped slow the attack. An employee activated a recently installed outside siren, at which point the suspects fled.

Incident 3: A smash-and-grab was reported at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4. Four masked suspects wearing hoodies used hammers to smash their way through the double-door entrance of a retail jewellery store located near Highway 401 and Keele Street. Once inside, they broke open several showcases, removing an unknown quantity of jewellery. No further details are available.

Incident 4: On Wednesday, November 5, three unidentified individuals drove a vehicle through the show window of a retail jewellery store located near Eglinton Avenue East and Hurontario Street in Mississauga. The car became lodged in the store’s entrance. The trio managed to steal a small value of merchandise before fleeing in a second vehicle driven by a fourth accomplice. No further information is available about this incident.

Incident 5: An Oakville-based jeweller reported a burglary at her home on November 5, while she was temporarily absent, resulting in the loss of an unknown quantity of jewellery she had taken home from the business earlier that day.

Incident 6: A distraction theft gang is reported to be operating in various cities in British Columbia since October 9. Possibly from Eastern Europe, the gang includes a male who may be accompanied by an accomplice or a child asking to see high-value gold chains, trying them on and then attempting to switch them, sometimes successfully, for a similar-looking fake chain. The five events reported to date have taken place in enclosed mall jewellers in Delta, Port Coquitlam, Kelowna, Langley, and Abbotsford. However, there is no reason to think this gang cannot target jewellers in other locations and will not extend its reach to other provinces. The suspect has reportedly left at least one location in a black Hyundai Santa Fe with the BC number plate A23 5FJ.

 Information provided by CJB Insurance Services Inc.