Latest burglary tactic targets lightweight safes

Numismatic dealers and collectors are being cautioned about a burglary method increasingly used by thieves to gain access to safes containing high-value items.

Security alerts circulated by CJB Insurance describe a tactic in which criminals enter a neighbouring unit and break through a common wall to access the targeted business. Once inside, the thieves focus on removing safes that can later be opened at another location.

In a recent incident reported in Toronto, suspects entered an adjacent commercial unit and broke through a shared wall into a jewelry store. They then removed a safe containing an unknown value of jewelry before fleeing the scene. Although an alarm was triggered and the owner and police attended shortly afterwards, the suspects had already escaped with the safe.

While the case involved a jewelry business, the method highlights a risk that is equally relevant to coin and bullion dealers as well as serious collectors who store valuable numismatic material in commercial or shared buildings.

According to security specialists, many of the safes stolen in similar incidents across Ontario have been lightweight fire-rated units. These safes are designed primarily to protect contents from fire and often provide little resistance to physical attack or removal.

Dealers storing coins, bullion or other high-value collectibles are encouraged to use ULC-rated anti burglary safes. These units typically weigh more than 500 kilograms, making them far more difficult to remove and providing substantially greater resistance to forced entry. If a fire-rated safe must be used, experts recommend limiting its contents to lower-value material and ensuring that higher-value inventory is stored in a properly rated anti-burglary safe.