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Arrests made after restaurant burglary

Photograph by Akil Simmons

Police made several arrests yesterday in connection with a break-in at a Hamilton restaurant.

It appeared the raiders broke into Coconut Rock on Reid Street through a glass door, which was boarded over later.

A police spokesman said the break-in was discovered at about 5.15am yesterday — 45 minutes before the first night of the island’s Covid-19 curfew was due to end.

He said: “Inquiries were made and it was discovered that culprits had forced entry in to the premises. It is unknown exactly what had been taken.

“The investigation led police officers to Queen Elizabeth Park in the City of Hamilton where a number of persons were arrested and items relating to the burglary were recovered.

The spokesman added: “The suspects remain in police custody whilst the inquiries in to this crime continues.”

Management at Coconut Rock declined to comment on the break-in.

Chris Garland, head of the restaurant division of the Chamber of Commerce and general manager of Flanagan’s on Front Street, said the break-in had made the sector uneasy.

He said: “This is something that they just didn’t need at this time. You are down, and then you just get kicked down farther.”

Mr Garland said that some already-struggling members of the community had been harder hit by business closures and job losses than others, which could contribute to an increase in crime rates.

He added: “People are going to be in difficult, difficult positions. It sucks and it leaves business owners with a sense of unease about the security of their premises.

“Thankfully, we have something like 75 cameras between our businesses, so we have pretty good security.”

Mr Garland added that he hoped the Bermuda Police Service were aware of problems that could come up while a curfew was in force and increase vigilance in the city.