B.C. cafe goes cashless after two break-ins in two months

A Nanaimo business has decided to make a major change to the way they operate after dealing with theft and vandalism.

Can Akin opened Misty Pines Cafe and Bakery in 2023, which was their second store in the city.

“It’s nice to have a small business in Nanaimo, sometimes,” he told Global News.

“Sometimes it’s tough, because it’s been three years. We had three break-ins so far. One time they broke our full window, stole a couple things. And then second time they came in from the window. And the third time they came in from the window as well.”

The cafe has now been broken into two times in two months.

Akin said it cost them almost $4,000 to replace everything from the first break-in, as tablets and money were also stolen. The other two break-ins cost them about $3,000 each.

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Now, the business has gone cashless in an effort to curb the break-ins.

Akin said during the last break-in on Oct. 10, a person was able to make off with their cash safe, despite it being heavy and taking two people to move it in.

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“He took it, and then police caught him in 10 minutes or 15 minutes, but we never recovered our safe, and all the money was gone inside,” Akin said.

Akin said he also recognized the person as one of the two suspects in the first break-in on Sept. 5, when the safe and cash float were also taken.

“We pay for it, you can’t recover and for a small business it’s a big amount of money,” he added.

A suspect was arrested after the second break-in and released hours later on an undertaking to appear in court on Dec. 15.

“Small businesses like this are kind of the heart of Nanaimo and we have to look out for them,” customer Graham Villette told Global News.

Nanaimo’s mayor said policy changes are needed when it comes to the prosecution of repeat offenders and the street disorder hurting downtowns across B.C.

“It’s a sad reflection on the state of things across this country and this province and our city,” Mayor Leonard Krog said.

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“It offends me that businesses are forced to do this, but at the same time I’m also hopeful that the new government will direct both the solicitor general and the attorney general to take a tougher stand in terms of policy relating to not only prosecution but particularly prosecution of repeat offenders and an emphasis on getting rid of the street disorder that is hurting every downtown in our province.”

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Kevan Shaw’s family has owned commercial property in downtown Nanaimo for nearly 80 years.

But he said the last two decades have been plagued by petty crime, theft and break-ins.

“You get a person that is arrested today and they’re out in a few hours,” Shaw said.

When asked why the suspect in the most recent Misty Pines break-in was released after being held overnight, Nanaimo RCMP said that investigations take time.

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“The investigators need to review the CCTV footage, gather witness statements, catalogue forensic evidence, look for other witnesses and then, when the investigative steps are completed, submit a succinct detailed report to Crown Counsel,” RCMP said in a statement.

They said they are pursuing charges of break-and-enter, theft and possession of stolen property.