By Robert Andre Emmanuel
Several small businesses on Redcliffe Street and High Street were hit by burglars early Thursday morning.
The incidents, which occurred around 3am, have left business owners feeling vulnerable and calling for increased security measures in the area.
The affected establishments were CeCo Pharmacy on High Street, and Party Paradise and Greater Gold Beauty Plus on Redcliffe Street.
Joanne Fleming-Richards, the owner of Party Paradise, reported that the perpetrators broke through the locks on the front door to gain entry, while Greater Gold Beauty Plus’s burglar bars and the window to CeCo Pharmacy were reportedly broken.
The thieves made off with cash boxes and registers, some of which were later discovered in a nearby parking lot behind Subway.
“I feel violated; there are times when I work late, and, you know, I have to be looking over my shoulder all the time when I leave here,” Fleming-Richards told Observer.
“So, it could have been a situation where I was working, and somebody comes in on me … so it could have been worse, and anything could have happened.
“You know, when things like this happen, you start thinking, ‘what if?’ Because I was here and actually, I didn’t get to even finish what I was doing last night and I left some of it not done because I wanted to get home.”
Faithfulness, the owner of Greater Gold Beauty Plus, described a similar experience, noting that the store’s alarm system was triggered during the burglary, which may have prompted the thief to flee quickly with the cash register.
The owner told Observer that an electrical socket that the register was plugged into was nearly ripped out of the wall in the attempt.
Another businesswoman said her store, which sells clothes on the same street, had signs of an attempted break-in.
Meanwhile, the owners voiced their frustration with the current security situation in the area.
Fleming-Richards highlighted several issues, including inadequate street lighting, lack of visible police patrols, and difficulty in obtaining means of self-protection.
“You can’t get a firearm licence to protect yourself and as far as I know, it’s illegal to import mace and tasers and things like that; you have nothing to protect yourself except the grace of God,” she said.
Business owners have long complained about the laborious process of obtaining a firearm licence, with some stating that a response on their application can take years.
Faithfulness expressed similar concerns about the response to these crimes, saying, “I feel like we are at the mercy of the never-do-wells, the drug addicts and the hoodlums … even when the police showed up, you know, they were not moving like they were going to solve it.”
Police officers responded to the scene and conducted preliminary investigations. However, Faithfulness, who was born in Nigeria, expressed skepticism about the likelihood of the crimes being solved, citing past experiences with unsolved break-ins.
This series of burglaries has re-ignited concerns about crime and its potential impact on the economy and tourism.
“In a country where every time you go on social media, all you’re seeing is about armed robbery, you know, violent crimes … it’s only going to be a matter of time before it starts to affect the tourism directly,” Faithfulness warned.
“We just hope that the government, the police, you know, put some more cameras, do some more patrols, you know, come a little harder on the criminals when they’re caught,” he added.
Observer media spoke to police PRO Inspector Frankie Thomas who said he would look into the matter.
