Seymour’s Jerk Chicken, which Mrs. Silburn owns with her husband, Seymour, had been broken into. The suspects took about $130 from the drawer, basically the petty cash the Shedden Road institution uses to operate the cash register.
“They broke the padlock off the door and took the cash pan,” Mrs. Silburn said. “A police officer on patrol noticed the break-in and contacted us.”
She said she believed the suspect was a former employee at the jerk stand. Police reported no arrests on the incident by press time.
It’s not the first recent problem the jerk stand has reported in recent days.
In April, Mrs. Seymour said a thief ran into the business while it was open and stole the cash pan from underneath the register.
“My husband and I, we just sat here and watched … it was amazing how fast it happened,” she said.
Royal Cayman Islands Police classified that incident as a burglary as well, according to a spokesperson.
Mrs. Seymour said she thinks individuals in the George Town community know the people perpetrating these crimes. “They’re just not talking,” she said.
For now, the jerk stand will be taking precautions and no longer leaving any cash in the drawer overnight.
“We’ll keep a note on the door when we close up; ‘no money left in the shop’,” she said. She also said the business would have to look at getting better security than just a padlock for the door.
Burglaries accounted for about 75 per cent of the all crime reports in the Cayman Islands during the first three months of 2012. Police have also recently noted a spate of burglaries in recent weeks, but declined to state where these were occurring.
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I sympathize with the Seymour’s struggles with break-ins. It is hard to fully comprehend. However, as I have said about Cayman all along, everyone needs to be more fully security conscious, that is, being always aware of the real possibility that he or she could be the next crime victim. Criminal activity shows that these thugs can strike anywhere, anytime, and anyhow. They neither fear God nor regard man.
The padlock was broken off and the cash pan taken. (Perhaps the padlock was too flimsy). Also noted that in April the business was also burglarized and the cash pan taken. Thia is inexcusable. Full precautions should have been taken even before the April robbery and more so after that. Doesn’t experience teaches wisdom?
Common sense dictates that where money is placed in any business, whether for petty cash or pending bank deposit, the receptacle must be immovable (bolted down or securely fixed in a secured position).
I share the Seymour’s pain and frustration, but the theft would been avoided if the necessary security steps were taken in the first place. Putting a note on the door informing prospective thieves that no money left in shop may not be a strong enough deterrent. What if there is disbelief or the crooks can’t read?