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Tiny Scottish island of Canna hit by first crime in decades Tiny Scottish island of Canna hit by first crime in decades
(about 5 hours later)
A tiny Scottish island has been hit by its first crime in decades after thieves raided its only shop. It’s less than four miles long and a mile wide, has a population of just 26 and no police station, but the tiny island of Canna in the Inner Hebrides is in the middle of an unexpected crime wave.
The community shop in Canna, in the Inner Hebrides, has been run on an "honesty basis" for four years, with customers noting down the groceries and items they take in a book and leaving the money in a box. The latest crime figures won’t make Police Scotland worry too much though; thieves struck the community shop in the first theft on the remote island in decades.
Run by volunteers, it is regularly left open overnight to allow fishermen who dock at the island's pier to get what they need at any time but the community group which runs the shop said that will now have to change after the theft on Friday night. The volunteer-run shop has been run on an “honesty basis” for four years, allowing the few locals, passing fisherman and kayakers to leave cash in exchange for groceries.
When staff checked on the store on Saturday morning, they realised the shelves had been emptied of sweets, biscuits, coffee, toiletries, batteries and six hand-knitted wool hats that had been on display. Canna has a population of 26 people (Flickr/LHOON) However the crime rate on the island soared from zero on Friday when thieves struck, emptying the shelves of sweet, biscuits, coffee, toiletries, batteries and six wool hats, that had been hand-knitted by shop manager Julie McCabe.
Canna has a population of about 20 people (Flickr/LHOON) Roughly four miles (6.4km) long and a mile (1.6km) wide, Canna has a population of about 20 people and the last crime on the island was reportedly the theft of a carved wooden plate from a church on the island in the 1960s. The last time a theft was reported on Canna is believed to have been in 1960s, when a carved wooden plated was stolen from Rhu Church. That case was never solved, but police say crime on the island is “rare”.
Police said they did not know the history of crime on the island but that the shop theft was "rare". Ms McCabe said: “I am absolutely floored that someone has been in and did that to our community… We are going to have to consider locking the door at night.
Councillor Bill Clark, who has represented the area for 13 years, said: "It's quite unbelievable, it's something you don't hear about at all in the Inner Isles. Officers from the mainland have had to be drafted in to investigate the crime and want to speak to anyone who docked at Canna pier on Friday night. The island’s community shop is left open around the clock so that sailors, fisherman and visiting kayakers can use the free wi-fi and help themselves to a cup of tea or coffee.
"I would think this is the first crime in years - I don't know for sure but I certainly haven't heard of any crime there in my time. However this policy of openness may have been the shops downfall. A message posted on the Facebook page of the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust, said: “The thieves would have had to fill carrier bags with the amount of items they took.
"I doubt very much if anyone even locks their doors there." ”Sadly, this means we will have to lock the door of the shop overnight now. We left it open specifically to welcome fisherman in to use the wi-fi and buy anything they needed while resting in at our pier overnight.
A message posted on Facebook by the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust said: "Sadly our community shop was robbed on Friday night. In the four years our shop has been run on an honesty basis, this is the first time this has happened and we are all gutted by it. “The feedback from the fishing community was that it is a most welcome service. It is, therefore, very sad that they and other visitors have to lose out.”
"The thieves cleared the shelves of sweets, chocolate bars, coffee, biscuits, toiletries, batteries and more. Most upsetting for Julie (the shop manager) was they stole six of her hand-knitted Canna wool hats which were in the shop on a sale or return basis. These hats are all unique. Councillor Bill Clark, who has represented the area for 13 years, said: “It's quite unbelievable; it's something you don't hear about at all in the Inner Isles.
"The thieves would have had to fill carrier bags with the amount of items they took." ”I would think this is the first crime in years - I don't know for sure but I certainly haven't heard of any crime there in my time.
Police officers on the mainland are investigating the incident and want to speak to anyone who was docked at Canna pier on Friday night. “I doubt very much if anyone even locks their doors there.”
The Trust message continued: "Sadly, this means we will have to lock the door of the shop overnight now. We left it open specifically to welcome fisherman in to use the wi-fi and buy anything they needed while resting in at our pier overnight. Despite the local councillor’s recollect the island hasn’t been crime free however. In 2009 the island was rocked by a far more serious crime, when the island’s former special constable was convicted of sexual assaulting two women on the island.
"The feedback from the fishing community was that it is a most welcome service. It is, therefore, very sad that they and other visitors have to lose out. Patrick MacKinnon, who was also convicted of possessing two unlicensed rifles and a shotgun, became an outcast after the attacks, and was arrested by police from the mainland who used a lifeboat to travel to the island and carry out the arrest. Mr MacKinnon, who was born and brought up on the island, was found dead on the mainland the following year.
"On Friday night a fishing boat was in at our pier all night - Mary Anne CY340, which we were told works out of Tarbert/Loch Fyne and is skippered by George Brown. If they have any info or witnessed anything, please get in touch. The National Trust for Scotland, which owns the island, said: ”We were sorry to hear about this theft from the shop on Canna, which the community have worked hard to make a success.
"If anyone else has any information about this crime please let us know. “Thankfully, incidents like this are extremely rare and Canna is a very safe place."
"With such a small community, this is the only way our shop can be viably run to provide a valuable service to locals and visitors.
"Thefts like this put our shop in jeopardy and may mean it will have to close, which would be a real shame after all the hard work and voluntary hours that go into it."
Press Association