By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

CHRISTMAS trading at R M Bailey Park was shaken overnight when thieves slashed their way into three vendor tents, stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year.

The break-in occurred near the East–West Highway, where suspects used a knife to cut through canvas tents under cover of darkness. Stolen items included toys, footballs, jewellery, designer clothing and small household appliances. Some toys were dropped as the suspects fled, and a knife believed to have been used in the break-in was later found near a nearby school wall and seized for fingerprint analysis.

Karen Brown, president of the RM Bailey Park Association, said the theft bore the hallmarks of a planned operation rather than a spur-of-the-moment act. She said the suspects appeared to have been watching the movements of the on-duty security officer before striking.

She said the security officer was on routine patrol when the suspects took advantage of a brief absence from the area. The group, which she said consisted of five people, split up and entered separate tents, targeting merchandise positioned at the back to avoid detection.

Despite the losses, vendors reopened the following day and continued trading as usual. Ms Brown said sales so far this Christmas season have been steady, though not at the pace seen in previous years, with the busiest days still expected ahead.

“Usually, you know, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, usually they are two of the busiest shopping days out here, you know, because Bahamians being very last minute or you know, if they forget to get that special item, then they know their Bahamian fleemarket is here to accommodate them, so it's been pretty good,” she said. “Everybody seems to be making a dollar or two, not like years before, but I would say it's moderate.”

Ms Brown said some vendors were able to limit their losses because they had secured part of their stock in vehicles overnight. In one case, a vendor had removed most of her clothing from her tent, leaving only items displayed on racks.

She said vendors rallied together after the incident, helping each other secure damaged tents and alerting one another to suspicious activity.

“We are like a family out here, so if you hurt one you hurt all, so once the security alert me, I would alert the vendor, or I alerted them anyway. And I was out here with them. We tried to patch up the tents as much as possible,” she said.

Ms Brown said while the park has experienced minor thefts in the past, this was the first time vendors had been hit by what appeared to be a coordinated group targeting multiple tents at once.

RM Bailey Park, a popular flea market-style shopping area, attracts large crowds during the Christmas season and throughout the year, offering clothing, toys, household goods and food. Police are continuing their investigation, and vendors affected by the break-in have been advised to file formal reports.