The moment a lone thief discovered he had been caught red-handed by the owners of a bar he was burgling, he was left with no choice but to flee the scene with a handful of cash as police closed in.
The late-night burglary at GT Outpost and Rackam’s was one of several hits on similar establishments along the waterfront, during the Christmas holidays.
Most of the break-ins were caught on CCTV, including cameras at GT Outpost, which are equipped with two-way microphones – thereby giving the bar owners a chance to spook the thief who was busy breaking into their till.
“We told him ‘We can see you, and police were on the way,'” said co-owner Jesse Walker. “You could see he was shocked because he heard the voice, stopped and looked around, and he must have panicked because he took off running down the road.”
Walker, who was busy upgrading his security system on Wednesday, 27 Dec., two days later, told the Compass the burglar managed to escape, and he had since implemented changes to make his business more difficult to target – which he hoped would dissuade other opportunistic thieves.
“I’ve put up grille bars on the windows and there are bars on the door, which are open when we are. I got two additional cameras and more lights,” said Walker, adding that this was the second time in four months that his place had been hit by burglars.
A stone’s throw away, at Cayman Cabana, a different type of burglary had played out a few nights prior.
In still images, a group of four unmasked men broke in and stole food, liquor, the company phone and even Christmas decorations.
“They pretty much made themselves at home in the kitchen,” said a spokesperson, who asked not to be named. “They came in, made themselves something to eat and drink before taking the rest of the things.”
Unlike the Outpost, the Cabana has been a repeat target of burglars over the years, often as much as every three months.
“We came in, we kind of decided not to let it get us down, and so we called in everybody and it was all hands on deck as we got things back together so we could open,” said the spokesperson.
She added that the theft forced them to throw out food that had been pre-seasoned, because the burglars had interfered with it, resulting in a direct hit to profits.
“It’s also more than that, this should not be the cost of doing business,” she said. “We should not have to worry about coming to work to find the place has been destroyed and things stolen, and there is no excuse because, if they were hungry and in genuine need, they could have easily received a meal and something to drink.”
A few feet away at the Sandbar, thieves also helped themselves to food, liquor and cash the same night.
“There were other places that were burgled, too,” said operations manager Brice Reid, adding he heard two more restaurants in George Town had been hit.
For the past three months, Reid and his staff have enjoyed relative peace, having been previously burgled four times, and robbed at gunpoint once and with a knife another time.
“I am worried about the increase in crime. I mean, we are not alone and there is crime everywhere, but we need more police presence,” said Reid.
His sentiment is one that has been echoed by all the bar owners and staff that spoke to the Compass.
“We are doing our part,” said Walker from GT Outpost, as he pointed to a business WhatsApp group of bar staff and owners.
Through the group, members were quickly warned of two tourists who had used fake currency at one establishment.
A spokesperson for the RCIPS told the Compass that the burglaries were under investigation.
Anyone who might have information about the burglars are encouraged to contact the George Town Police Station at 949-4222.
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