Bar owner laments eighth break-in

For businesswoman Tanya Alleyne, the losses associated with burglary and theft are becoming much too familiar.

The owner of 1st Lady Enterprises, who goes by the name ‘Tan Tan’, told Barbados TODAY that on Friday, the bar she operates at the Roy Byer Centre on Stadium Road, St Michael was burglarized for the eighth time and numerous alcoholic beverages, including wines, whiskey and rum, stolen.

When Barbados TODAY visited the bar, the door was nailed into place with planks. On the outside of the building, her cash register was in pieces. It had been empty at the time of the alleged robbery.

“They took my cash register – I bought that from PriceSmart for $500 – and they… took it under the auditorium and hit it in the ground.   

“This is the eighth time my shop was broken into. They come and they lick out the windows. I had to replace the windows. I had to replace burglar bars,” Alleyne lamented.

After a break-in in March, she took to social media to vent her frustration. Alleyne said the culprits were entering the establishment through the window and door leading to the bar, but they seemed to have changed strategy and had been using the entrance to the kitchen. She said they had destroyed the door to gain access.

Making matters worse for the businesswoman who started her venture in 2017, is the estimated tens of thousands of dollars in losses from the damage caused earlier this year by Hurricane Elsa which damaged the roof of the establishment.

The businesswoman said she has an idea of who is behind some of the break-ins and is putting security measures in place, including more cameras, to address the problem.

“Put yourself in my shoes. Regardless of whether you like me or not, I would not wish this on anybody. I being real honest because if I tell you the amount of money I does have to out each month, you wouldn’t believe it,” said Alleyne.

Barbados TODAY has been unable to verify the reports with officers from the District ‘A’ Police Station. On the last two occasions, Alleyne did not report the matters.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb