The president of Four Star is calling for the public to step up and help to tackle a trend of robberies on businesses.

A thief stole $300 from the chain’s Warwick store on Boxing Day after threatening a male staff member with a knife — the 15th armed robbery in Bermuda this year.

Yesterday, Four Star’s president, Marico Thomas, expressed his sadness over the incident, while predicting such crimes would continue to plague the community, particularly during the traditionally lean months to come.

Mr Thomas, who is hoping that CCTV footage from the store will help to bring the offender to justice, said the public must also play their part in keeping the Island safe.

“It would be great if the public at large could speak up about these kind of things and condemn them,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“It’s not just us, it’s taxi drivers, convenience stores, gas stations — there have been many victims of this kind of crime. It’s not the kind of things we want to encourage in Bermuda.

“This is a difficult time of year and I would encourage everyone to be vigilant. In January and February, when business is slow, people start looking for other means of income.”

The incident happened shortly after 6pm; afterwards, the offender escaped on a motorcycle, which has now been recovered by police and is being forensically examined.

Mr Thomas said: “We had a man enter the store, take a knife and hold it against the body of one of our staff and demand cash.

“It was a very unfortunate incident and it is a very uncomfortable thing to happen to anybody. Part of our policy is that we don’t have large quantities of cash on the premises. We did give him about $300, but the message to him and any thieving friends out there is that there’s no value in trying to rob us.

“It’s a shame. It’s not what anybody would expect at this time of year especially, when you are feeling in a giving mood and trying to provide as much as you can to those who really need it.

“We do have cameras up and will be sharing those pictures with the police. We felt the police responded quite quickly and they did give chase; they weren’t able to get the assailant but they did get his bike.”

Michael Dunkley, the Premier and Minister of National Security, and Senator Jeff Baron, the Junior Minister of National Security, visited the store yesterday to offer support.

The Premier told this newspaper: “These type of things are traumatic for the people working there, so we just like to say hi and let them know we’re thinking about them.

“We send the message out very clearly: we don’t accept that type of behaviour. This is not the Bermuda that anybody wants. There’s no excuse for robbing people or being violent, and we’ll do all we can to work with the police to stamp it out.

“Marico Thomas is a young entrepreneur who has worked tirelessly to start a business and he’s got a lot on the line. I don’t want to see the business go back because of people who I refer to as cowards. It’s important that we show our support for young Bermudian entrepreneurs.”

Mr Baron said: “It’s important for everyone to know that it’s business as usual. We were in there, it’s totally safe, customers are going in and out. Despite this incident, there’s been very little disruption, which we’re happy about. We hope the community continues to feel supported by the Premier and the Government.”

The Progressive Labour Party also offered support, with Walter Roban, the Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, calling for the public’s help in catching the thief.

• Anyone with information should call police on 295-0011.