A frustrated cafe owner has called for additional security measures in Bolton town centre after his business was broken into.
The glass front front door of Portuguese cafe Th3 Guys, in Great Moor Street, was smashed over the weekend, before a burglar allegedly stole cash from the till and a couple of kitchen knives. Th3 Guys is one of two businesses ran by Tiago Silva in Bolton town centre, along with tapas restaurant Tapaz, on Bradshawgate.
Posting on Instagram on Sunday (January 29), he wrote: "This morning when opening we discovered that we’ve been broken into. We’d like to ask our community if you saw anything that could of been related to this incident, please come forward and let us know as we’re currently in discussions with the police.
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"We will open as normal today, as we don’t want this to set us back when business is already tough. Please do excuse if we’re not ourselves today, we will try our best to function as we normally would."
Tiago said that the incident happened at around 3am on Sunday morning and that he reported it to police when he arrived at the cafe later that day. He said that the culprit left blood at the scene, so officers were able to take DNA samples.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Tiago added: "It's really unfair and it's already such a hard time. This happens a lot in Bolton, it isn't just a once a month thing.
"I invest in the town and pay my council tax, so I think Bolton Council need to invest some better security measures in the town centre. "
Bolton Council confirmed that a "comprehensive" CCTV network is already in place throughout the town centre and that improving town centre safety is a "priority". A Town Hall spokesman said: “The council is working closely with our partners in Greater Manchester Police to create a safer environment for residents, visitors and businesses.
“There is a comprehensive CCTV network in the town centre alongside other council initiatives such as the Town Centre Partnership and the Public Spaces Protection Order. We fully understand the concerns of local businesses and tackling this issue is a key priority.”
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