At about 9 p.m. on Dec. 29, police were called about a robbery at the Rite Way in Road Town. Hours earlier, a burglary had taken place nearby at Mi Amor Jewellers.

Since then, however, police have remained tight-lipped about the details of the two crimes and did not issue a related warning to the public until Monday.

The Mi Amor burglary occurred sometime between 5 p.m. on Dec. 28 and 10:10 a.m. on
Dec. 29, police told the Beacon this week. Jewellery was taken, but police did not say how much, despite online reports that put the value above $500,000.

No arrests have been made and the investigation remains active.

As for Rite Way, police told the Beacon that cash was stolen but no one was injured. They did not say how much cash was taken, provide a description of the perpetrators, or say whether they were armed.

Though the two incidents took place within hours of each other, police said there is no evidence or intelligence to suggest the crimes are connected.

Despite a lack of official information about the two crimes, police sent out a press release on Monday giving business owners crime prevention tips.

The advice included installing lights with “vandal proof fixtures,” checking doors and windows before leaving for the night, and enforcing windows and exterior doors with burglar bars.

“It is time for businesses to really focus upon the security of their premises and put the hurricanes behind them,” Police Commissioner Michael Matthews said in the release. “Using the hurricane damage as the reason to not properly secure their businesses is just counterproductive and simply leads to criminals preying on their vulnerability.”