Peacekeepers looking into attempted break-in

The Kahnawake Peacekeepers have opened an investigation after a door leading a family’s home basement was kicked in last week, damaging the frame.

The apparent attempted break-in happened just before midnight last Thursday at a home in the New Development. The Peacekeepers got the call for help from someone inside the home at 11:47 p.m. that night. Two officers arrived at the home soon after.

Peacekeepers spokesperson Kyle Zachary said multiple people may have been involved according to witnesses.

“One officer spoke to a group of kids, who heard what could have been a loud thump and saw three kids running away from the area,” he said.

The two peacekeepers that responded continued to patrol the area for the remainder of their shift, Zachary said, looking for possible signs that could point them to who was responsible and speaking to neighbours.

The Peacekeepers have yet to piece together a description of the suspects. They could be facing charges of mischief causing property damage, Zachary said.

The Eastern Door reached out to one of the residents of the home but didn’t hear back by deadline.

This incident follows four other break-ins that happened over a three-day period last week.

On Sunday, October 6, one family’s home was completely ransacked after a door was kicked.

That same afternoon a man left the Sports Complex with roughly $1,000 in cash after gaining entry to the men’s dressing room there. A men’s rec hockey league had been on the ice then, coming that Sunday with cash in their wallets ready to pay off their annual fees to the arena. A photo of the suspect, believed to be a non-local, has since been shared with the community.

On Monday, October 7, John Owen’s Oasis restaurant was broken into in the early morning hours. Security footage from inside shows two women leaving with an iPad.

The Peacekeepers confirmed an investigation was also opened the following day after a family member called about a break-in at his daughter’s home on McComber Road. It happened while she was out of town. The father didn’t report finding anything stolen, according to the police report.

The Peacekeepers don’t currently believe the crimes to be linked to each other.

“What’s important here is that we avoid panic. We don’t want people who are making unnecessary, rash decisions,” Zachary said.

While the break-ins are cause for concern, he also held off on calling it a trend.

“Over the week there have been a few similar incidents, but this doesn’t equate to a rash of break-ins,” Zachary said.

That’s because the number of break-ins this year isn’t significantly higher compared to prior years, he said.

Eight break-ins have been reported to the police force since the beginning 2024, compared to seven break-ins the year prior. Five that were opened in 2022, nine were opened in 2021, and eight were opened in 2020.

Zachary encouraged community members to continue remaining vigilant, and to keep an eye on their neighbour’s homes too.

“Make sure all of your exterior lights are working. Make sure everything is functioning. If you have security cameras, make sure that they are running and recording,” he said. “These little things will add to the overall safety of your area.”

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