Convenience store robberies are stealing the headlines

By Laurie Harrison

A knife, ski mask, and blanket of darkness – these have become the accessories to the crimes committed by early morning bandits, hitting stores all across the city recently.

Windsor police have assembled their own arsenal of resources to combat these criminals. Among them: surveillance footage, social media to share those images and a push to ask the public for help.

“We ask people to follow us on social media, follow your local media and when you see these pictures of the incidents being reported, take note,” said Const. Andrew Drouillard. “Were you in the area? Do you recognize the suspect? Do you even have a hunch or third-hand information? We will investigate that; it could be the key piece to the puzzle we are looking for.”

For the individuals who are fearful to come forward, Crime Stoppers started many years ago as a way for people to pass along information anonymously.

“There are a number of ways that the public can get involved. First of all, it’s preventative. We are asking the public to be aware of your nighttime surroundings. Most times we are looking at robberies that happened in early morning hours,” said Const. Amanda Allen, with Windsor Essex County Crime Stoppers. “”Make mental observations, take a look at who is in the store, what they are wearing, when they come out of the store, what direction they go. You never know when there is a piece of info that you can provide after the fact.”

Police say that despite the recent rash, the rate of robberies this year is actually the lowest it has been in the past five year, and it’s dropping.

“Over the last five years, robberies were on average 180, but the last couple of years it has gone down to 160 or so,” said Drouillard. As of August of this year, there were just under 130 robberies.