Public CCTV must be rolled out - newsagent

A Cavan retailer is calling for a modern CCTV system to be installed in towns such as Belturbet in the interest of policing and security.

Brian Seagrave made the call after his newsagents was targeted last weekend in a ‘smash and grab’ style raid. A trader in the town for many decades, he believes that at least six locations in the west Cavan town should be covered by public cameras monitored by gardaí.
The second time his shop has been hit in seven years, the shopkeeper also feels that consideration will have to be given to deploying more gardaí in the area and possibly to arming them.
“We used to pay money to the Town Commission – now we, as traders, could pay a certain amount of money each year to maintain the [CCTV] system,” he suggested.
“The presence of state-of-the-art security cameras at those six strategic locations would have the effect of making the raiders consider the consequences of being spotted clearly on CCTV,” added Mr Seagrave.
The gang of raiders struck Seagraves in the early hours of last Sunday night/Monday morning.
They smashed a reinforced window in the front door of the shop to gain entry to the premises.
At least one member of the gang, who were wearing gloves, entered the premises, grabbing as many cigarettes and cash in coins from the till as they could.
Mr Seagrave, told The Anglo-Celt that they used a large brick to smash the glass in the door. “They took cigarettes and they took all the cash in coins from the till. They never touched anything else – they did not even take a bar of chocolate,” he said.
While declining to reveal the value of the stolen items, Mr Seagrave said that he will have to consider taking the hit himself to avoid rising insurance premiums. The shopkeeper added that this was not the first time his shop was robbed.
The shopkeeper said that this was not the first time his shop was robbed. “There was a heavy burglary seven years ago – they took an awful lot on that occasion. They wrecked the place – they took cigarettes, they took every bar of chocolate in the place. They came in the back window and they really went to town on the shop,” he said of that incident.
Thankfully, those responsible for that raid were nabbed and sentenced and Mr Seagrave complimented the gardaí in that regard.
Meanwhile, in relation to the latest raid, a forensic examination of the scene was carried out by gardaí from the scenes of Crime Unit on Monday morning. CCTV footage is being examined to ascertain if it shows up any activity in or around the Bridge Street area in the early hours of Monday morning.

 

Appeal

The gardaí at Belturbet are appealing for information and would like to hear from anyone who may have seen people or a vehicle acting suspiciously in proximity to the shop at the time in question.