By Emily-Rose Toohey
During the early hours of Sunday morning, JM Grocerieres Convenience Store was broken into and products were stolen from the business.
The store has been open for just two months and owner Mathew Joe said the culprits took lighters, giftsets, groceries, and cigarettes.
“I don’t keep any money in the store,” Mathew said.
“They broke in through a window and I think the person knew everything about the store.”
As seen on the CCTV footage, he said the culprit went searching for money where it was usually kept.
Warwick Police acting officer-in-charge Sergeant Cameron Slater said after the suspect broke in at 12.30am, an alarm was set off that alerted Mathew to the incident.
“They were wearing a mask over their face,” Sergeant Slater said.
“The matter is still under investigation.”
At the other end of Palmerin Street, Warwick Watchmakers and Jewellers suffered a break-in on 9 May.
Warwick Watchmakers and Jeweller’s Larissa Mack said three culprits broke in through the front glass panels and took watches and jewellery.
“We lost roughly $8000 in stock and damages were past $10 000,” Larissa said.
“They tried to get into the store by kicking in and damaging the roller door, which I think kept them at bay.”
After the incident, she said it affected the business’ trade.
“We had to be cautious because there was glass everywhere,” Larissa said.
“Then the girls had to do a thorough stocktake of the shop to find out what’s actually missing.
“It’s the time factor and the inconvenience of it.”
Sergeant Slater said although police have not noticed a trend of Palmerin Street businesses being break-in targets, every now and then offenders see an opportunity to do so.
“Each store’s different and it’s hard to say why some are targeted,” he said.
Despite the recent incident, Mathew said it had not deterred his new store which he feels Warwick residents are not aware of.
“I think it will take time to build a customer base,” he said.
