Article content continued

“At 9 p.m., it just dies around here,” he said. “It’s less movement from the general public and that makes it very accessible for anyone who has the idea or intention to break into a business.”

In his case, Ergig said the culprits broke a side window panel to his store on Friday, taking about $300 worth of merchandise and leaving him with a bill of more than $1,500 to fix the window.

The third business to have been targeted recently was the Cellular Centre, on the south side of Dundas and near Richmond.

Despite the recent incidents, London police say there hasn’t been an increase in the number of break-and-enters in the area since construction of the Dundas Place project began.

Jim Yanchula, city hall’s manager for downtown projects, said the city has taken several measures to improve safety around the construction site, many of them the result of feedback from business owners during the first phase of the project last year.

Among them was removing some screens that last year had been installed on fences around the perimeter of the construction site.

“That was done to control eyes on the equipment on the site and to control dust on the windows of the businesses,” he said. “But the downside of that was that it created some uncomfortable corridors in terms of the narrowness and the darkness it created, so this year we didn’t do it again,” he said.

Other measures included using bolted fasteners to secure construction fencing and the installation of four security cameras around the area.

Yanchula said conversations with police are also ongoing about these issues and further steps could be taken if needed.

The second phase of the flex street construction will be complete by the fall.