Indications of ‘Looting’ After Hurricane Igor
Directly after, and even while, Hurricane Igor struck the island, there were multiple incidents of what one could term a form of looting.
In a carefully worded statement from the Bermuda Police Service, they said on Monday there were “13 reported burglaries at non-residential properties.”
This is a dramatically higher than normal reports of burglaries for a single day, even more so as it was theft from businesses rather than homes.
Monday, which was when the Hurricane finally abated after pounding all night, officials asked the public to say home in order for damage assessments and cleanup to proceed with maximum efficiency.
The incident is said to have occurred very early on Monday morning during night time hours, meaning the thieves would have been out in gale force winds, with the many of street lights and traffic lights out, while Igor was less than 100 miles away.
Police said “In two of those incidents, quantities of jewelry were taken. Police are appealing for the public to be on the look out for any individuals who may be attempting to sell jewelry at discounted prices.”
We understand some of the stores to be located on Court Street, with the items stolen from CJ’s Jewellery Store said to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from that one store alone. Other businesses located on Court Street were also broken into overnight. As everyone is aware, the Court Street merchants were already facing increased business difficulties due to the shootings in the area.
These 13 incidents of theft were far from the only criminal actions over the Hurricane period. Later on Monday, two men were shot while riding a bike in the Friswells Hill area. On Saturday while the island was preparing for Igor, Police were investigating reports of gunshots in the Spanish Point area, while on the previous day a shooting occurred in Paget, which saw a man shot in the buttocks.
