At the Primera on Cypresstraat in Breda, the second time was broken into less than two weeks. Burglars kicked the door of the store in the night from Wednesday to Thursday, left a mess and ran away with a load of cigarettes. “I am considering closing the store until the security has been scaled up,” the owner says excitedly.
They are not a nice weeks for Rezjwan Ahmed, owner of Primera Tuinzigt. On Thursday morning he woke up for the second time by the emergency center with bad news. “The door has been kicked in again and the cigarette supply has been stolen for the second time. They ran back with two men and also kicked the door out there,” he says.
“Why am I? I help everyone.”
Saturday, August 16, it was already hit. After that, the security was scaled up, but burglars were able to enter again. “Apparently it wasn’t enough,” concludes Rezjwan. “Why am I? I am always there for the neighborhood, I help everyone and then people come here and they demolish the business within five minutes.”
“I feel bad, very bad. It cannot be described in words.” He is considering temporarily closing his store. Yet he is just open on Thursday morning to tidy up and help customers. “But I really think I’m going to close the store for a few days. I want to wait until the security is improved before I open the store again.”
Roller shutters will be placed in the coming two weeks. There must also be new doors for the store. Rezhwan does not yet know how much it will cost.
“You are almost starting to think it’s normal.”
Customers respond shocked. “You are almost starting to think that it is normal, but it is not,” says Ben van Dooren. He was able to get cigars, despite the stock that the thieves have passed on. “You don’t expect this. It is hoped that people who live around it have seen something.”
Natasja Jochems thinks it is terrible. “People just have to stay away from other people’s things. It’s not normal that the weather happened.” She feels less safe on the street because of the burglaries.
Rezjwan makes a call on the Facebook page of the store to the people who know more or have seen something to report. “Even if your cigarettes are offered, I would like to hear it,” he says.
Whether and how long the store will close is not yet known. One thing is certain: Rezhwan would like to continue with the store. “But first we have to tighten the security. Then we open again.”
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