Thieves loot Swakop jewelry store

A Swakopmund store has lost N$400 000 in jewelry after their shop was broken into yesterday morning.

According to the manager of the renowned Herrle & Herma Jewelry store, the security guard slept through the alarm during the break-in. Manager of the Swakopmund branch, Jutta Anama, received a phone call from the Heltronix security company yesterday morning at 01:18 informing her about the break-in.

According to Anama, Heltronix told her the alarm went off at 00:38 that same morning. Wondering why Heltronix informed her so late of the break in, she says: “I only received a phone call half an hour after the break-in. They told me they first had to check what was going on and only then made the call. However, half an hour in Swakopmund is very long.”

It seems the burglars were not rushed for time; the security door was forced open without great damage and they neatly cut out the glass with utmost care, leaving the frame intact. They then entered the shop, at which point the alarm must have gone off.

Anama says that the security guard slept through this entire commotion only a few metres away. “How can he not hear the alarm?” asks Anama. There was one witness, however, in the form of a street child. “The child slept in the area and apparently told the police that he saw two men breaking into the shop,” she explains.

According to her, the burglars helped themselves to jewelry in five of the eight display cabinets in the shop front.

“They didn’t have enough time to take my laptop or the other jewelry, but they still had time to steal diamond, gold, silver and elephant-hair jewelry. They stole necklaces, earrings as well as bracelets.”

Anama explains that during the seven years of business, this marked the third break in at its Swakopmund branch.

Co-owner of the Herrle & Herma branches, Andreas Herrle, says that the stolen jewelry was exclusive and that each piece sported the H&H brand.

According to him, the security at Ankerplatz has been reduced and crime is not a foreign concept for the shops at the centre.

“Window shopping at our store will not be what it used to be, we might even consider changing the location of our shop altogether.”

Herrle says he also had some problems with the police and forensic team, as the police did not want to take a statement or send officers to take fingerprints before Herrle was able to give a full list of everything that was stolen. As a result, fingerprints were still not taken in the afternoon.

Police Commissioner Samuel //Hoëbeb says the police are looking into the case, and he personally attended to this matter.

The police commissioner says that the security guard was taken in for questioning in connection with the crime, but was released some hours later due to a lack of evidence.

A reward of N$ 50 000 has been set for anyone with further information on the break-in.