Thieves wreak havoc on bars

Karrie Williams, Gleaner Writer

Bar operators in sections of Westmoreland are grappling with what they say are huge financial losses as a result of burglars who prey on their establishments at nights, usually after the closure.

Among the communities worst affected are Sheffield, Little London, Orange Hill, New Hope, and sections of Negrils West End.

The bar operators also contend that they are still preyed upon, despite having made several reports to the police. In an effort to prevent further losses, many of them are now removing their unsold goods from shelves at the close of the business each day, taking them home for safekeeping.

The common approach taken by the thieves is to target bars right after they have been restocked. This way, they are able to make off with thousands of dollars worth of goods. Although the Larceny Act of Jamaica prescribes a 10-year maximum prison sentence for this offence, it seems the thieves are not the least bit perturbed.

In the month of May, my bar was hit twice in less than one week, one Negril-based operator told Western Focus.

The first time they came, they took everything, except for the opened bottles of liquor. Two nights later, they returned to get those, too.

OUT OF BUSINESS

They served me with a hat trick and ran me completely out of business, lamented another from Little London. My bar is now closed after suffering three attacks this year. I have no more resources to start over.

When contacted, commanding officer of the Westmoreland Police Division, Superintendent Carol George McKenzie, told Western Focus that although the police were aware of the problem to some degree, there were instances when robberies were not reported, primarily because operators feared retaliation from perpetrators and also because they were sometimes unable to identify them.

He said, however, that persons should also obey the law and close at the appropriate time as that lessened the opportunity of them getting robbed. He said they should also maintain some level of security.

Always be aware of the environment. Observe strange people, engage them in conversation to find out as much as you can about them. One thing they need to do is to ensure that their premises are properly lit, and one very important thing we try to encourage all business operators to do within the parish is to have surveillance cameras installed, he said.