‘You can’t steal what you can’t see’: New anti-theft device installed at Ancaster, Ont. jewelry store

Could flooding a jewelry store with smoke stop an armed robbery? CTV’s Alexandra Holyk finds out.

An Ontario jewelry store stepped up its security measures after a violent armed robbery in December 2024.

Ancaster Jewellers installed a ‘smoke screen’ system that would flood their store, within seconds, with a thick fog.

“If the ‘Hold-up’ button is pushed, they automatically disperse for 30 seconds with a non-toxic water vapour,” explained owner Jean-Pierre Verbunt. “It’s very dense. You can’t see your hand from your face, so you can’t steal what you can’t see.”

The new system comes less than nine months after thieves targeted the store in a violent smash-and-grab robbery.

“They did smash almost every case in the store,” Verbunt recalled. “I spent the night in the hospital [and] got a CT scan. Lots of damage to my face from hammers and punching.”

The device acts as smoke and mirrors – clouding criminals’ vision and deterring them from finishing the job.

“You just want to do anything you can to try and delay them and slow them down,” said Russell Verbunt, the owner’s son, who was also working at the store during the December incident.

“It’s not like we’re trying to incapacitate them or something,” he continued. “We just want to give the police time to get here.”

The smoke screen is just the latest security measure added at Ancaster Jewellers.

While Verbunt knows they will not stop all armed robberies, he’s hopeful the new system will deter any potential criminals.

“It’s really to stop yourself from being the low-lying fruit and put yourself a little higher in the tree,” he explained.

According to Connect and Protect, a Halton-based security company, smoke screens are often used overseas. But they have grown in popularity since the company started selling them in Canada.

“Jewelry stores, some higher-end retail, private residences, and then some retail applications where they’re looking to protect specific assets,” said Derek Hopkins, Connect and Protect’s president.

Their price, for the added layer of protection, starts at $1,500 for a small, residential unit.

“All the technology is based on the same principle… it’s just a matter of how much fog you want to generate in that area within a time period,” Hopkins said.

For Verbunt, the smoke screen and most security measures in general, are worth every penny.

“Show all the bad guys that we have this passive resistance,” he said. “That’s going to hopefully stop [them] from even trying.”