Golf carts, chargers stolen from Cumberland County course

The general manager of a Cumberland County golf course says security cameras show it took all of 20 minutes for a trio of thieves to steal five golf carts and a number of chargers early Tuesday morning. 

"It's certainly an organized group," said John Mills with Northumberland Links in Pugwash. 

"There was no vandalism, no damage, just what they needed to do. And off they went with the golf carts," he said. 

Nova Scotia RCMP say three people, a black pickup truck pulling a closed utility trailer and a seven-metre U-Haul truck were on the property around 1:19 a.m. AT.

Mills said the five dark blue E-Z-Go golf carts with Northumberland Links branding were purchased last year at a cost of $12,300 each. Four superchargers and three regular chargers were also taken and the business is still going through the insurance process. 

Universal keys for golf carts can easily be purchased online, which is something the course itself has done to replace lost ones, according to Mills. 

"So we're going to look at what we need to do to enhance our security for sure. But we've never had a problem in the 36 years I've been here," he said.

Mills said the price of golf carts shot up during the pandemic. As an example, he said carts the course bought in 2008 were traded last year for about the same amount as the original purchase price.

"My speculation is that once they go out of the region, there's all kinds of property owners or campground people that would like to have a golf cart just to get around," he said. 

Thefts elsewhere in Canada

Last year, New Brunswick RCMP received a report of the theft of golf carts from a business in Mactaquac. A total of four carts were stolen in two instances in July and October, according to a news release. 

There have also been a string of thefts reported in Ontario, with course owners and distributors suspecting there is a thriving black market.

In a statement, Nova Scotia RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said there's no indication at this time that the Pugwash theft is connected to similar incidents in other provinces.

An investigation into the Northumberland Links theft is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Cumberland County RCMP or Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers.