By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Super Value’s owner fears crime will “wipe out” the economy, with the police seemingly disinterested in investigating thefts and break-ins impacting the private sector.

Rupert Roberts told Tribune Business that the Royal Bahamas Police Force was being “overrun” by rising crime levels, and “ignoring” theft and similar offences in favour of concentrating on violent incidents.

He said the supermarket chain had “a couple dozen” outstanding cases it had reported to the police, but these were seemingly not being pursued or actively investigated.

Mr Roberts added that Super Value had even provided the name and address of the culprit that it suspects broke into its Prince Charles Drive store and stole $70,000 from its Commonwealth Bank ATM machine.

With no apparent progress on this issue, he told Tribune Business: “It’s to the point that the criminals are scaring us away, and the police are telling us we have to look after ourselves.

“We have a couple dozen issues. We have 12 missing bank bags. We gave them the name and address of the culprit that we think broke through the roof and sawed through the Commonwealth Bank ATM at Prince Charles, and got away with $70,000.

“We have a dozen items the police will not act on and investigate,” Mr Roberts continued. “If one of my managers took the $10,000 store float home, the police wouldn’t bother to investigate.

“It’s only violent crimes they deal with now. Theft, they ignore, and we, the business sector, can’t understand it. They let that go, and then crime is just going to take over. Crime pays.”

Mr Roberts and fellow businessman, Ethric Bowe, recently initiated a meeting of business owners that discussed a temporary closure of their establishments - an action intended to drive home to the Government and police just how bad the crime crisis is.

The Super Value owner, though, said the group “wouldn’t want to act alone”. Pointing to the Coalition for Responsible Taxation’s relative success in working with the Government on Value-Added Tax (VAT), Mr Roberts suggested it was a model that the private sector could employ in aiding the crime fight.

He indicated that business owners at the meeting, to which members of the Carmichael Business League, Blue Hill Road and Coconut Grove Business Leagues, and Retail Grocers Association were invited, would seek to “reach out” for assistance to the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC).

“That was an emergency meeting that we called,” Mr Roberts told Tribune Business. “There were all sorts of discussions, but I believe the thinking was that we wouldn’t want to act alone.

Speaking of Mr Bowe, whose insurance agency business is located across the road from Super Value’s Golden Gates headquarters, he added: “He feels threatened.

“He doesn’t go out jogging in the morning, and doesn’t feel safe any more. In essence, he thinks we’re being controlled by crime, and he feels he’s had enough.

“We were successful in helping the Government with VAT, so let’s help them with crime. If we don’t, I think we’ll all be wiped out. “The idea is: Let’s ask the police to do something, let’s ask the Government to do something.”

Both Mr Bowe’s and Mr Roberts’ Golden Gates businesses have suffered recent break-ins, and the Super Value owner added: “Right now, the criminals have the upper hand.

“The police are being overrun, and the merchants feel the Government and police are not giving it their best shot. We think they can do better.”

Mr Roberts said it was time for the Bahamas to seek outside help and advice to combat crime, which he argued was necessary “to save the country” and its key tourism industry.

“We’re busy trying to survive and save our businesses, and keep up employment,” he told Tribune Business. “We’re busy and shouldn’t have to put business on hold to do this.

“We’re supposed to have a competent police force. We have a government, and they’re not taking care of us.

“The ship is sinking. Things are totally out of control. There’s been a total break down of law and order.”

Mr Roberts said Super Value had suffered two break-ins through the roof at its Prince Charles Drive store, and one at its Golden Gates location, within the past six weeks. And since the New Year, armed robberies had occurred at its Mackey Street and Robinson Road stores.

“The way I see it, it’s going to wipe us out,” he told Tribune Business of crime. “It’s going to kill the economy by wiping out the tourism industry, and the merchants are having difficulty doing business. It goes on and on.”