POLICE are investigating two smash-and-grab style burglaries in the city centre that are believed to have taken place in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Chaos City Comics, in Harding Parade, and Rymans, in Chequer Street, were targeted by thieves who gained access to the properties by smashing the shops’ glass doors.
Police believe thieves broke into Chaos City Comics some time between 7.20pm on Monday and 5.30am on Tuesday and made off with around £120 in cash.
Manager Luke Ridge, who received a call from his boss alerting him to the incident, said: “I got in the square about 8am to find a big hole through the glass door and glass was everywhere.
“We leave the till open and empty as a deterrent but they found where we keep it [the contents] and took the float.”
Luke was unable to open the shop until 1pm and said it took him until later that evening to get it properly back into order.
He added: “It makes me angry. As soon as I saw they had taken the till I was really unhappy.”
At Rymans it is thought the back door was smashed at around 5am causing the burglar alarm to be set off. Despite signs that thieves had searched the premises nothing was taken.
Manager Vicky Gent said they lost two hours of trading on Tuesday morning, adding: “The police seem to think they were after one thing and one thing only and that was cash so we got away very lightly.”
Herts Police said no arrests have been made but at this stage they are linking the two crimes. Anyone with information should contact them on the non-emergency 101 number or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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