On an island in the Scottish Hebrides with a universe of fewer than 20 lasting resident , honesty is a direction of life . It ’s all the more disconcerting , then , to get wind that the short town of Canna has experienced itsfirst major crimein half a one C : as - yet - nameless thieves run off in the night with shelf ’ Charles Frederick Worth of “ afters , burnt umber bars , coffee , biscuits , toiletries , batteries and more ” from the biotic community ’s one — and only — retail store . No money was taken , but the steal goods amounted to roughly £ 200 , or upwards of $ 300 . Even more upsettingly , the presumed outsiders nabbed no fewer than six of store manager Julie McCabe ’s hand - knit woolly chapeau , each of them unique .
There ’s no certificate footage of the thieves , nor is there any physical grounds of breaking and entering to examine for clues — because for the past four years , the Isle of Canna Community Shop has left its doors unlock at all hours of the mean solar day and night to conciliate any fishermen from the nearby pier in need of a cupful of tea or admission to the storehouse ’s Wi - Fi . Even their sales engage on an “ honesty boxwood ” ground , with residents mark their purchases in a daybook and leave the appropriate sum of money behind . With few citizen than it would take to occupy a school day bus , Canna ’s community has always done just fine with its quaint , trusting system . As Julie McCabe told Aberdeen’sPress and Journal , “ When you live on a small island like this you have to trust your neighbor and everybody polish up about . ”Anecdotal report indicate that prior to this recent disconcerting event , Canna had not ensure a theft since the sixties , when a chip at wooden plate was removed from one of the island ’s three churches . Scottish police can not formally corroborate the offence , because their computerized records do n’t go back that far . The example remains unsolved to this day . Local councilor Bill Clark , whose ward includes Canna , is adamantine that “ it must have been visitors ” responsible for the community shop caper : “ You just do n’t hear about these things go on in the inner isles … I’m indisputable the people who hold up on Canna do n’t even interlock their doors . ” unluckily , that might start changing if the thieves do n’t step forward — but Canna will soldier on . Here ’s hop that the culprits realize that , no matter how unequaled , those hat are n’t worth an entire island ’s sense of security and trust in their fellow human being .
