The incidents of vandalism at the Beacon Theatre have been on the increase.
Just last week, the theatre was again a target when vandals busted their way in through the theatre's front door which faces onto Hwy. 16.
In the process significant damage was done to the door frame.
Cpl. Chris Ivany, from the Burns Lake RCMP detachment said they responded to the break and enter call at the theatre on Aug. 12 at 3:48 a.m.
"The suspects forced their way in to the theatre by damaging the front door," he said.
The call came in to the RCMP when the theatre's alarm system was triggered. When RCMP arrived the suspects had already left the scene.
"It is a shame this has happened with all the work that has been put into the community owned theatre," Cpl. Ivany said.
The news comes after a spate of other acts of vandalism at the theatre over the last few months.
Michael Riis-Christianson, president of the Lakes District Film Society, the non-profit organization that owns and operates the theatre, said to Lakes District News he attended the scene as soon as the call from the alarm company came through.
He said when he arrived the theatre door was closed, but there was obvious signs of damage to the door frame.
"I think they used a crow bar to destroy the dead bolt," he said.
Riis-Christianson said he rushed inside the theatre to check if anything was damaged or missing, without thinking that the suspects could still be inside. "My first concern was the equipment." The RCMP arrived soon after.
"The alarm system paid for itself in this instance. It appears they fled the scene once the alarm went off and didn't have much time to search the premises."
He went on to say that he feels the suspects were after something from the theatre as they went upstairs and opened a cupboard door.
The cupboard only held movie posters so Riis-Christianson said he is not sure what they were after.
He marveled that the criminals would break in, fully aware of the Chubb Security alarm sticker on the door next to the lock they smashed open.
"Criminals aren't always smart," he said.
The society will now be looking at beefing up their security system as Riis-Christianson feels it is a little lax.
"We will be replacing the door jam, replacing the old dead bolt with two new locking mechanisms and making the theatre more secure. There is never any cash .... it is the equipment that I am concerned about," he said.
The society is hoping the repairs to the door can be made for under $200.
"It is a shame. There is no honour among thieves. They don't care if they are stealing from a big company like Walmart or a community owned theatre that is just struggling to get by."
Riis-Christainson said he commends the Burns Lake RCMP for arriving on the scene so quickly and said he will be suggesting more police patrols be made in the downtown core at nights.
"This is not the first issue we have had," he said.