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ST. george – A local small business owner is warning other commercial property operators after his business went bust Sunday night for the third time since opening in the area six years ago.
Following the weekend burglary, Hobby Town owner and manager Ryan Flippo told the St. George News that businesses need to do more than just install security cameras and alarms to protect their premises.
“Anything you put in your store as a deterrent to make people think twice,” Flippo said. “With the crime rate we’re seeing, alarms and security cameras aren’t enough.”
Flippo said businesses should do everything they can to make it harder for thieves.
“They don’t care as long as they’re inside in two minutes,” Flippo said of the use of security cameras and alarms.
Flipo says it has a good camera system with a motion alarm system controlled by a security company. The business also has steel doors in addition to glass doors.
Flippo said he was surprised that two of the three burglaries were committed by older men in their 30s and 40s, two of the three burglaries who broke in and took them.
He said a rock was thrown at one of the front display windows of the burglary on Sunday.
Earlier, the other two break-ins took place at their former location on Red Cliff Drive behind the Texas Roadhouse, he added.
Flipo: One man involved in a burglary and robbery, while the other involved a man using tools to access the air conditioning system and climb inside and fall through the roof.
Regarding the age range of the suspects, he said, “In this kind of business, you’d think they’d be young.
The thieves know they have two to five minutes to get in and out before the police show up, so they’re doing a “smash and grab” of thieves.
HobbyTown was formerly HobbyTown USA but has gone global with the addition of business relationships in Australia. Each branch store is individually owned. Located at 215 W. St. George Boulevard, this store is owned by a veteran. Flipo’s parents are co-owners and help run the business.
HobbyTown sells hobby-oriented products, from model airplanes to model cars, Star Wars kits, Japanese kits, puzzles, Pokemon and the most popular radio control cars and trucks.
The products taken during the break were mainly radio control cars, Flippo said. These cars range in price from under $100 to over $1,000. With custom parts, these cars can cost upwards of $10,000.
St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell told the St. George News since Jan. 27 that there have been four commercial burglaries in the off-hours crime spree. As for the theft and embezzlement method, there have been six attempted and/or successful thefts since the same date.
Mitchell said there has been an increase in these types of thefts recently and police have put more emphasis on patrolling around the city’s business areas.
She said she recommends that owners use a quality security camera system with a dispatch-connected alarm as a minimum preventative measure. She suggested that because it takes more time and effort to avoid crime, businesses should invest in additional security measures, such as installing metal doors, to help reduce the likelihood of break-ins.
People who see anything unusual, like someone hanging around a business after store hours, should call the police, she added.
Copyright Saint George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.
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