BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SEVERAL small business owners in Central Street, Basseterre are calling on the police to beef up security within that area, because they have been the primary target of thieves over the past five weeks.
Yesterday (Dec. 07), SKNVibes visited a number of these businesses on Central Street, between New and Sprott Streets, and learned that six of them were broken into and an attempt was made to gain entry into another, while one owner was forced to foreclose because thieves had cleaned the store out of its goods.
Steve’s Enterprise at the junction of Sprott and Central Streets was broken into on Nov. 2. The perpetrators sawed off the padlock, removed the burglar bars and destroyed the main door to gain entrance into the building.
While in there, they stole a large quantity of items and some of them were retrieved by the police who found them in Prickley Pear Alley. But, to date, no one was arrested for the offence.
The saleswoman at the entity told this media house that the owner had to purchase a new door which costs some EC$2 000.
Another individual who also had to replace the door to her business premises is the owner of Smart Fit on Central and New Streets.
Within the space of one week, thieves had twice targeted that business place.
The owner said that first time when the thieves targeted her business, they had removed the burglar bars after sawing off the locks and thereafter broke the glass door.
She indicated that large quantities of items were stolen, including jeans and T-shirts.
Thieves also broke into SK Fashions on Central and removed almost all of the items within, which forced the owner to foreclose prematurely. They gained entrance from the rear of the building.
Popular talk show host and owner of Freedom FM, Junie Liburd, who also owns Junie’s Culture Shop on Central Street, had suffered losses.
Liburd told this publication that his business place was broken into on Saturday (Dec. 3) and the perpetrators had returned early Monday morning (Dec. 5) and were trying once more to reenter his store.
“On Saturday morning when I went into my store, I noticed that the display glass was broken and the perpetrators had helped themselves to what was in the showcase – some caps, T-shirts, etc. There was evidence that one of them got cut because blood stains were on the bar. We called the police who came and took a statement on the description of what was stolen. However, after they left, it was then I noticed the blood stains and I called them back, but no one came to date to look at the blood stains or to lift them for forensic purposes or analyses.
“The thieves came back to the Culture Shop early Monday morning and were attempting to saw off the lock and chain that secured the entrance door. I understand that they did the same thing at Anne’s Plaza, where they sawed off the lock to the first door at the entrance but was unsuccessful in their attempt to saw off the lock on the second door.
“When the bandits were attempting to saw off the lock from the chain on Monday morning, a lady told us that she saw what they were doing and she called the police to come and see what was going on, but nobody came. She said she was told by the police that the perpetrators would not get into the store,” Liburd said.
The proprietor noted that another business place within proximity of his own was also broken into and he strongly believes that the police could do more if they were to collect certain evidence, such as dusting for fingerprints.
“It seems as if there is some ongoing spate of robberies targeting black businesses here in Basseterre. They went from the rear into Zigvi’s Bar & Snackette and removed a lot of stuff. We had called the police on these incidents and they had responded in fashion, but we think that they can do more because nobody has come to look at the blood stains. I also called the Commissioner on Saturday and during our conversation he promised to look into it…but I understand that he is off island.”
Liburd and many other business owners in that area believe that the time has come for the police to beef-up security, especially in the small business area in which “black people operate. These are the stores that are targeted…the moms and pops shops”.
He explained that it is currently hard to keep small businesses afloat as they are slowly being squeezed by the larger ones and targeted by thieves.
“We, the small business owners, make investments by going shopping as far as Miami and New York to return with a variety of goods for people to purchase, especially during this festive season. And I think what is happening with the recent spate of robberies will want people to close down their businesses, because we are not making anything with the squeeze we are getting from the taxes we have to pay when we come in…the VAT and all the other incidental expenses we have to take care of.
“With the big businesses coming on stream now, small businesses will be phased out, especially the small black businesses. Many of us feel like giving up, because sales have significantly dropped during the year. There was a time when my shop used to make about EC$2 000 a month and now I don’t even make a quarter of that.”
