Increase In Fayetteville Burglaries

"I thought it was just a matter of time before our business was hit." Around this time last week, five business owners in Colt Square were arriving to open up their stores only to find they had been burglarized. Cash and small items were mainly taken but one business had nothing stolen. "They broke in through the front door, with a crowbar actually. They came in and stole cash, vending machines, things like that," says Jay,owner of Mr. Jays Visual Changes Hair Salon. Nu-U DaySpa had approximately $1,000 stolen, but this isn`t the first time they`ve had problems. "Were off the beaten path, it`s dark, not a lot of traffic and there weren`t a lot of police patrolling back here," says Denise Brockunier. Since January, Fayetteville Police have seen over 130 residential and commercial burglaries-- that number is slightly up from last year. In 2004, there were 114 burglaries. The new task force will begin looking for items taken from burglaries at pawn shops, following up with the victims to make sure everything was reported, and even contacting the parole office to see if any recent parolees were in the area when the crime happened. Victims here at Colt Square are pleased to see something is now being done. "Since the robbery I have seen unmarked police cars and other units back here and I think that will make a huge, tremendous difference," Brockunier says. "If they were to create a task force then maybe it will minimize the crime in this area," Jay says. Police say don`t forget to lock your doors and your windows. The harder it is for thieves to break in, the less likely they`ll do it. Also, keep the area well lit... that makes it easier for the patrol officers at night. And police say right now, there are suspects in the Colt Square burglaries.