A Nanaimo café owner called police this week while watching live security camera footage of the business being burglarized.
The incident happened shortly before 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 13, at the Bee's Knees Café on Third Street.
By the time officers arrived, the male suspect had forced open the lock to an exterior door, grabbed the cash drawer containing an undisclosed amount of money, and fled. The suspect was dressed all in black and covered his face with his hands.
"Cash drawers are the preferred items of thieves," noted the release. "At the end of the business day, cash drawers should be left open and emptied of their contents."
Another Nanaimo business was broken into earlier the same day, at about 2:25 a.m., say police. A witness reported he could hear prying sounds coming from Vancouver Island Refillery on Wesley Street, and officers arrived to find the front door off its hinges and lying on the ground next to the business. Police searched the premises and found no one inside. The only item reported missing at the time was the cash drawer. Officers noted that the suspect or suspects used a metal bar to smash through a gate.
RCMP say five Nanaimo businesses were victimized by smash-and-grab break-ins between Dec. 25-Jan. 15. In each case suspects either broke a window or pried open a door to gain access.
“While the number of break-ins is not significant, one break in is too many,” said reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, in the release. “These incidents can impact the business financially and create an element of uncertainty and fear for not only for the owners, but their employees too.”
RCMP are looking for tips from the public to help solve the recent break-and-enters. Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.
