Friday, October 26, 2007

The Art Of Thieves

Glass cutters? Check! Gloves? Check! Cardboard box? Check!

Toronto Police have arrested two suspected burglars who they say were outfitted with all the gear worthy of a scene out of "Mission Impossible" and who allegedly broke into businesses across Toronto and the GTA from inside a cardboard box.

In a news conference held at Police Headquarters on Thursday, officers outlined the tactics used in a series of over 200 break-and-enters since November of 2006.

The bandits would go right through the front glass doors of fast food restaurants and variety stores. The trick was to hide inside a three-sided cardboard box placed up against the front of the door while using specialized glass-cutting tools to break in.

Staff Inspector Brody Smollett says the culprits used the kind of precision you see in Hollywood heist movies.

"They would cut out the glass, slide in, sometimes they wouldn't even stand up until they got to where they needed to go, they would slither across the floor in case there were motion sensors," Staff Insp. Smollett told 680News.

Once inside, they would disable the alarm systems and then use a grinder to crack the safes.

In many cases, police said the men wore two-way radio headsets to communicate while one man broke in and the other acted as a look-out.

Detective Sergeant Reuben Stroble said anyone driving by would see the box and simply assume it was a delivery for the business.

"The concealment, I mean, no one would ever think of someone being inside a box in front of a storefront window in the middle of the night," said Det. Sgt. Stroble.

Gordon Michael Edwards, 27, and Jason Richard Phillips, 25, both of Toronto, each face dozens of charges and are accused of stealing $250,000 from businesses across Toronto and in Peel, York, Halton and Waterloo Regions.
Posted by Ajay :: 5:45 PM :: 0 comments

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