Thieves target Mandeville businesses
MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Three business owners are counting their losses after thieves broke into their stores on North Race Course Road between Thursday night and early Friday.
Up to yesterday afternoon, police detectives attached to the Mandeville Criminal Investigations Branch were busy trying to find clues and collecting statements.
A mini-mart located on the ground floor of the Sun Village Plaza was broken into and ransacked. The hoodlums made off with cash, food items and a digital video recorder (DVR) camera system. Just metres away, the thieves targeted a hardware and graphics design store.
Owner of the hardware, Best Price Builders Mart, Patrick Taylor told the Jamaica Observer that the thieves made off with items valuing almost one million dollars.
“Apparently these guys had a lot of time because I would say the place was well-secured. They even cut the perimeter fence and came through two grills. They had time to take the things they wanted. This is a big blow to the business,” said Taylor.
He claimed the police were slow in their response: “I just hope the authorities do their job. The police were slow in responding to calls this morning; we had been trying to get them from 6:15 and they didn’t turn up until after 10 o’ clock. It looks like there has been a series of break-ins into business places in Mandeville.”
Efforts to get a comment from the police failed.
“I think they [criminals] took the opportunity of the rain to carry out their act. This is the first this has happened to my business here and I have been here for six years,” said Taylor.
There was heavy and persistent rainfall in Mandeville late last week.
Taylor urged business owners in Mandeville to be on the lookout for criminals and to come together to defend their interests.
“Just to say to the business people in and around Mandeville to keep their eyes open. We need to take back our community and fight these criminals, because obviously the security forces can’t help us much, so we have to come together and deal with these criminals once and for all,” said Taylor.
