Islanders on crime wave Canna have insisted they will not change their way of life after its two shops were raided.
Canna had a crime rate of zero until Friday night when the premises, which rely on an honesty box system, were plundered.
The tiny isle, with a population of just 26, was shocked by the gross breach of trust, the first theft there since the early 1960s.
While some islanders were pleased at the global publicity they were saddened that the media spotlight had fallen on Canna for the wrong reasons.
Stewart Connor, who runs the shop with partner Julie McCabe, said: “It has been unbelievable. The telephone has been going quite a lot. We have had journalists phoning from all over the world, Australia, Canada, America.
“A policeman came over on the ferry and he is going to be letting us know how they get on.
“I think we will probably continue to operate it in the way we have been doing.
“The support and generosity from all over the world has been amazing. People are saying to us over our Facebook Page, ‘Don’t change’.
“We had been thinking about installing CCTV but we think we will just leave it as it is and hope this never happens again.
“People have been sending us donations. They have been coming in thick and fast.”
The community shop is left open 24 hours a day to allow fishermen and sailors to go in, use the free wifi and make tea and coffee.
Shoppers write down what they have taken and leave the money in an honesty box.
But at the weekend six woollen hats made by shop manager Julie McCabe were stolen along with chocolates, coffee, batteries and biscuits, all to the value of £200.
On the same night £20 in cash and toiletries worth £120 were taken from Hebridean Beauty, a newly opened shop on Canna which also uses an honesty box system.
Colin Irvine chairman of Isle of Canna Community Development Trust, who runs Hebridean Beauty, said: “The community will have a meeting and discuss what to do next.
“I think we don’t really want to change how we do things as it works so well normally. We will not change our way of life because of this incident.”
Mallaig community police officer Andrew Shepherd was sent to the island yesterday to make inquiries and reassure the public.