Burglaries

[Daisy]

As most of you know my DS2 and DIL run a small shop in a nearby town. They are worried sick about a sudden crime wave there.

The town's shops have had about 26 break-ins in the last 2 weeks. The hairdressers a few door down from their shop was trashed. The alarm was going off for an hour and nobody in the flats above reported it to the police.

A lady reported the alarm going off in a different shop and the police asked her to go and check which shop it was. She politely declined!

Everyone is so worried, and people are sleeping in their premises and even patrolling the shopping centre at night. Then today it was reported that a man had been arrested. Everyone heaved a sigh of heartfelt relief. Now we've just heard they've let him go again.

DS ad DIL never leave any money on the premises, but they have taken to taking their computers home each night as their business is so reliant on them, and DS2 has got some further security measures today, in addition to the alarm.

Most of the shops in the town are small independents, still recovering and trying to get back on their feet after 2 years of disruption with Covid, and they really don't need this.

What an awful state of affairs.

[Oma]

Daisy
That is such a worry , as if small businesses don’t have enough to worry about .
I think they are wise to take their computers home for the foreseeable future till they are sure this crime spree has ended.

The punishment doesn’t fit the crime that’s the problem here, these people get away with it regardless of the upset, trouble, and cost to shop owners.

Alarms are ignored, I know around here if a Alarm goes off in our little cul de sac we will all come out to check but bigger streets people just go about their business and ignore it,

Shocking that the police should ask a woman to go and see what shop, does it matter what shop it is if the Alarm is going off they should attend.

[Gemini]

What a worry Daisy
I hope this comes to a stop very soon.

My previous home was burgled twice in the 24 years we lived there. A horrible feeling.

[Daisy]

It really is a worry for them all. In DS2 and DIL's case they are just starting their busiest period of the year and any disruption now would be a disaster for them. It was bad enough when a lockdown was dropped on them right through November during the pandemic.

Gem, how horrible. You must have felt terrified, furious and violated by a break in in your home.

[Nanto2girls]

Small business owners in the area must be really worried. Glad DS and DIL are taking extra precautions.
As for asking the lady to check which shop, that was so wrong.
Hope there is some improvement in the situation soon.

[Daisy]

Thanks, Nanto. A lot of the charity shops have been attacked as well - how low can you get to steal from a charity shop!

[Clover]

Never mind the local shopkeepers patrolling at night ,that should be the police’s job but like with everything these days they are probably understaffed and having to deal with idiots off their heads with drink and or drugs.If you ever watch any of these “fly on the wall” documentaries about the police you will know what I mean.

I do hope your DS and DIL can feel less anxious soon.

[Lizzie48]

I was watching BBC news the other evening and they were saying that the police are giving priority to burglaries at the moment, they were saying that other crimes will go unsolved as all their work will be for the burglaries.

[Daisy]

Lizzie, that new item came on the day before they arrested a suspect, and then let him go.

Apparently he has a police record a mile long. I know he is innocent until proved guilty, but ... you can't help thinking since he's been caught on CCTV cameras and identified there is sufficient evidence for a prosecution.

Years ago before I had a car and worked in a city centre, I used to catch the same bus every night at 6 pm. I would always see a constable walking down the road, trying all the shop doors, checking ground level windows and just saying 'hello' to people. Rain or shine, summer or winter. It was such a reassuring presence, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt I could approach him if necessary. Also when we first moved to this village we had a village bobby. He lived in a Police house in the village, people knew him. He did cycling proficiency with the children, and they knew him.

I'm sure there would be much less crime if there were more police on the beat. Or do I need to move with the times!