Three rats got snapped at once, a new record for the Prince George crook detention invention.
The so-called Rat Trap is a door system for retail stores that magnetically locks suspects in a small foyer if they are trying to flee the scene of their crime.
Five locations in the city have some form of the system, all of them liquor outlets that were frequently victimized by shoplifters and armed robbers. The invention has been in use for three years.
One of the owners of such an establishment, Cam Thun, was the inventor. On Monday afternoon he celebrated a record and a milestone in one snap of the trap.
"One of my staff caught three of them at once. They were trying the old distraction trick, but she saw one of them steal some liquor and when they tried to leave, she pushed the button," he said. Two of the suspects were in the foyer, and one was still in the store but content to wait with his friends for police to arrive.
"Three at once is a Rat Trap record, and they were No. 49, 50 and 51 grab-and-run thieves we've caught. We've also caught five armed robbers," Thun said.
According to police, the three were aged 23, 25 and 31 and intoxication was a factor in their decision-making. Theft charges are now pending against all three, and one was on court conditions to stay clear of alcohol retailers so a breach of conditions charge is also pending against him.
Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass said police have appreciated the arrests the Rat Trap has enabled them to make, but points out a safety concern for the staff of the store. Police never recommend people take the detention of suspects upon themselves, he said. In this case, assistant manager Tiffany Gagne was still in the same room with one of the suspects while the others pounded in vain on the outer doors.
"I just spoke calmly to him," she said. "He was calm. He wasn't threatening me."
Thun said his staff are instructed to release anyone they feel is posing a threat to them. "If they feel uncomfortable using the Rat Trap for any reason, they are told don't do it, just let them walk," he said.
Thun said he has no intention of turning the Rat Trap into a business.
"Anyone who wants to know the technology and how to set it up, just call me [250-640-131] and tell you for free how to do it," he said.
