“You have to leave the cash drawer open”, serial burglaries in Nantes and the metropolis

Since the beginning of December, burglaries have increased in businesses in Nantes and its metropolis. Last weekend, seven of them were targeted by a scooter ram. Each time, the burglars make off with the cash.

The scene took place during the night from Saturday to Sunday, a few days before Christmas, in the city center of Nantes.

On the video surveillance images, we see un scooter smashes through the front door of a store. A second individual enters the store and goes directly to the cash drawer and steals a phone while it is charging. Alerted by the alarm system, the store manager quickly arrived on the scene.

“The damage amounts to around a hundred euros plus a cell phone. Three times nothing, in truth, deplores Marie-Hélène Leyrit, manager of the Cigoire gift shop. People today pay by credit card and no merchant leaves their daily receipts behind. On a Saturday evening, you might hear that it’s obviously the result of a long day, but no, there’s nothing left to steal.”

Morale is a little weighed down… because the steps behind this are very important

Laurent Garnier

Store manager Téo

A few minutes earlier, in the same street, a ready-to-wear store was also robbed. The custom-made front door, broken down by a scooter ram. While waiting for repairs, the owner is obliged to have his store guarded all night by a security guard.

An additional mental load during this Christmas period. “There is fed up. Most of us have been open non-stop for a week already, testifies Laurent Garnier, manager of the Teo store. Morale is weighed down, because the steps behind that are very important.”

In total, last weekend, seven businesses in the Nantes metropolis were victims of burglaries. The national police have given worried professionals some advice on how to protect themselves.

We must secure our front door as much as possible, we must also leave the cash drawer open to show that there is nothing in it

Teddy Robert

President of the Plein Center association

“Today, the recommendations are obviously to secure our front door as much as possible, but also very simple things, leaving our cash drawer open, reports Teddy Robert, president of the Plein Center association, the association of traders and artisans in downtown Nantes, which brings together more than 400 businesses. You should know today that it is very rare that we leave money in our stores. So to prevent our crates from breaking, we just have to leave the drawer open to show that there is nothing in it.”

These serial burglaries remain a rare phenomenon in Nantes, but traders are increasing their vigilance a week before Christmas.

A report by Mathilda Idri, Vincent Raynal and Anne Lebouffant

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