A local SME business owner and operator for a long time, Mahesh Syndicate says they are deeply concerned by the recent surge in burglaries, attempted break-ins, and thefts affecting businesses in their area.
Mahesh Syndicate General Manager, Vinay Kumar says the perpetrators are becoming increasingly brazen and bold in their actions.
He says over the past couple of months, their immediate business vicinity has experienced two confirmed robberies and two attempted break-ins — one occurring on their premises and another at a neighbouring property.
Kumar says in each incident, the perpetrators appear to have entered from the direction of the Marist Brothers Primary School property on Suva Street, Toorak, which currently lacks proper fencing or security barriers.
He says these incidents have consistently occurred during late-night hours between 10pm and 3am.
Kumar says while the police responded to one of the incidents involving their neighbouring business, they have not received any clear updates on the progress of the investigation.
In addition to these night-time burglaries, Kumar says a more recent and concerning trend has emerged involving groups of mostly female perpetrators engaging in coordinated thefts during business hours.
He says this issue is particularly prevalent in the Suva CBD and has now extended to high traffic commercial areas such as Nakasi. He reveals that at about midday on Monday 5th May, four young women entered their Nakasi branch at Rups Mega and stole a large number of items.
Kumar says fortunately, their vigilant all-female staff detected and intervened during the act.
Their efforts were supported by an off-duty police officer from the Sigatoka Police Station, who happened to be shopping at the time, as well as security personnel from Rups Mega.
During the confrontation, their staff were verbally threatened by the perpetrators, who warned they would retaliate — a troubling reflection of the growing boldness and aggression among petty criminals.
Nakasi Police were immediately informed and successfully took the suspects into custody.
Kumar says they are grateful for the swift response and ongoing communication from the Fiji Police Force, particularly by Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations Livai Driu and Officer Sunil Chand, Officer-in-Charge of the Nakasi Police Station.
He says as an SME, they are already facing significant challenges in sustaining their operations due to rising business costs, including increased labour expenses and taxes.
Kumar says the added burden of crime — and the necessary costs of hiring security personnel and enhancing surveillance systems — is further straining their capacity to survive and serve the community.
Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu says they appreciate the acknowledgement of police action that have been highlighted by Kumar as there is a consistent effort on the ground to improve response times as well as service delivery.
He says their operations and community policing officers are also actively engaging with the business community to also look at their security measures within their premises as there have been a number of reports of theft from within during operating hours.
Tudravu says it’s a collective effort, and while they do have their part to play in as far as visibility, patrols and the investigative arm, they also request business operators to assist efforts through proactive security measures, supported by police operations.
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