Cops urge business owners to beef up security for Christmas
Published:Monday | December 11, 2023 | 2:53 PMTanesha Mundle/Staff Reporter -
On the heels of Sunday’s daring daylight robbery at the KFC Restaurant King Street branch in downtown Kingston, business owners are being warned to review their security arrangements, especially over the Christmas season, to ensure the safety of their businesses and customers.
No one was hurt by the armed hoodlums, but the thieves made off with valuables and a little over $100,000.
In the aftermath of the robbery, head of the Kingston Central Police Division, Superintendent Beresford Williams, said, “We would ask business establishments, especially where they handle large amounts of cash, to look at their security arrangements and make sure, especially in this festive season, that customers can feel comfortable coming in.”
He said that while the police will be deployed on the streets in their numbers and will be making checks at different businesses during their deployment, it will be challenging to visit every business.
“We can’t be everywhere every time. There is some obligation on private businesses to look at their own security arrangements,” he stressed.
According to Williams, sometime after 11, four men entered the facility, armed with two handguns and wearing regular COVID-19 masks, held up and robbed the employees of cash, jewellery, and electronics.
“They also took money from the till, amounting to just over $10,000, and made their escape in the business district," he said.
Up to news time yesterday, Williams said there were no leads and appealed to persons who might know who the perpetrators are to assist the police with information.
He added, however, that the investigators will be considering CCTV footage through JamaicaEye to see if it can be of help.
In the meantime, he said the police have already increased their deployment for the busy Christmas season, and starting today, will further boost the numbers with outside assistance from other sections of the force.
“From early last week Thursday, the police increased its deployment in the commercial district significantly,” the commander stated.
He noted, however, that the deployment on a Sunday would not have been heavy as the majority of the businesses in the commercial district are usually closed on that day.