SHOP BURGLARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23160, 5 October 1938, Page 20

SHOP BURGLARY

. £BOO IN JEWELLERY INTRUDER FORCEB WAY IN " ' ALL OBSTACLES OVERCOME STEEL, DOOR BROKEN OPEN • r •V/ v • ——' i •. [BT TELEGRAPH—-PRESS ASSOCIATION] - CHRISTGHUReH, Tuesday Over £3OO worth of jewellery was stolen from the shop of Mr. Francis' Curtis in Cashel Street, when a yery thorough job of breaking into tbe shop was mado from the back. A reinforced steel .door embedded in concrete and brick did not stand in the way for long. To gain entrance, tho burglar began working from Lichfield Street. Ho entered tho block of buildings at approximately the rear of the jewellery shop, and made his way over the rooftops and corrugated iron to a skylight above the rear of the shop. C The skylight was smashed, and the caj: burglar then found himself iji the back of the shop, but cut off'from his booty by two doors. Painstaking Ability

The first door had glass panels. One of these was shattered and the bolt withdrawn. Then the thief set about removing his biggest obstacle.

Using a jemmy with apparently professional skill, he prised a wood architrave from its concrete setting. Chips of concrete lying on the jfloor this morning testified to tho painstaking ability of the intruder. A large shelf resting on a , support fixed in the woodwork was the first to collapse when tho door, with a heavy steel bar still holding it securely' to a part of the wall, was pushed back;

All the stolen? articles were scooped up from th,e shop window and apparently taken away in a table centre, which is' now missing. Valuable Articles in Sale

Fortunately, most of the valuable rings and other precious articles were stored away in the safe. The loss of tho stolen goods is fully covered by insurance, Lloyd's holding the policy. Two other attempts have been made to steal from tho shop. One, on September 4, 1935, was, successful. On that occasion £ISOO worth of jewellery was stolen and not recovered. In the second instance, about six months later, a smash and.grab raid was attempted, but was not successful. ,