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Cops issue warning over possible return of Irish Pavers
Cops issue warning over possible return of Irish Pavers
Didsbury RCMP is warning residents to be vigilant against being conned by smooth-talking scam artists posing as legitimate household contractors.
Recent incidents in and around town had police initially concerned the so-called ‘Irish Pavers’ had made a return to the area, said Didsbury RCMP Cpl. Warren Wright.
He said in the past four years individuals, who police would later give the moniker ‘Irish Pavers’, have been coming to the area peddling paving services to rural residents.
Wright said they would offer residents extra asphalt for paving at their homes. A price would be negotiated, and if the residents agreed, trucks would later show at their homes. He said cash would be demanded by the contractors upfront.
The RCMP officer said some work would be done but the workers ultimately left before the job was completed, leaving homeowners with only a half-finished job to deal with themselves.
“In the past years Mountain View County residents have been taken for hundreds of thousands of dollars in this type of situation,” said Wright. “The last time the Irish Pavers were in this area was last summer. They move from Edmonton to Lethbridge.
“The Irish Pavers are using labourers that are illegal immigrants and immigration officials are very interested in these people to determine if they are legal and whether they should work in this country,” he added.
Wright said the situation left police in a “grey line” as far as whether the cases merited an investigation as each job was negotiated with a verbal agreement.
“It is open to interpretation,” said Wright. “The guy did part of the driveway but not the way they (residents) wanted. This has been going on for years.”
He said the Didsbury RCMP detachment received “numerous” calls earlier this month about a company offering paving services.
Wright said RCMP spoke with a contractor who assured police he provided written quotes and contracts to potential clients and that he was only paid by cheque.
“There is no link established between this contractor and the Irish Pavers,” said Wright.
However, Didsbury RCMP is urging town and area residents to be on guard against potential paving con artists and to “exercise due diligence to protect themselves.
“I want to remind people to ask for a business licence, provincial accreditation and a written contract so that expectations are clear,” said Wright. “And never pay in cash.”
Any town or area residents that encounter any suspicious people offering contracts for household work can contact Didsbury RCMP at 403-335-3382.
Police probing thefts in town
Didsbury RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance in connection to a pair of unrelated recent thefts.
At about noon hour on June 11 a local gas station at 17 Street and 20 Avenue was victimized by a gas-and-dash caper.
Didsbury Cpl. Warren Wright said the operator of a black Ford Harley-Davidson pickup truck filled up the vehicle with $96.23 worth of gas at the pumps. The driver then left the gas station without paying.
Wright is asking any citizen who may have witnessed this theft or who noted the licence plate number of the pickup truck to contact the local RCMP office at 403-335-3382.
Mounties are also probing the theft of a black Diamondback mountain bike at a Didsbury residence at 15 Avenue and 14 Street. Wright said the theft occurred sometime between 9 p.m. on June 10 and 6 a.m. on June 11.
Anyone with information on this theft is asked to call local RCMP at 403-335-3382.
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