Good name spoiled for sake of a Coke

What kind of person considers breaking into a business at 3.30am just to steal a single can of Coca-Cola? It’s hardly worth getting out of bed.

But the spate of burglaries and break-ins that has afflicted the island in recent weeks is far from funny. The theft of charity boxes, in particular, is a disgusting crime that shows contempt for some of the poorest in our island community.

Islanders can take some comfort in the knowledge that the perpetrators are hardly master criminals. Forcing an unsecured window and grabbing the till float does not make them Guernsey’s version of Ocean’s Eleven.

One young thief might as well have said cheese as a nice picture of his face was taken by CCTV.

As the police say, it’s a handful of people whose antisocial behaviour is having a significant impact on our relatively crime-free community.

Given time – and an increase in police patrols – and the odds are heavily stacked against this bunch.

Pending that moment, business and home owners can make life as difficult as possible for the opportunistic criminal.

Not only shut but lock those windows, especially on the ground floor, and take home or lock up securely the till float and other valuables such as cigarettes. Buy an alarm and set up CCTV and make sure that a can of Coke is as good as it gets.

By making it hard for burglars businesses can stop them getting a taste for it. Maybe then the thieves will stay in bed rather than prowling the streets at night looking for an easy target.

Guernsey benefits from its reputation for being intolerant of crime. The owners of Gandeys Circus, who see much of the UK on tour, were shocked by the break-in and theft of charity donations when they visited.

‘Never ever would I dream something like this would happen in the Channel Islands,’ said Gandeys’ Binky Beaumont.

‘We just can’t believe it really.’

Extra vigilance not just by the police but all islanders should nip this in the bud and quickly restore the island’s well-deserved good name.

The burglars have two choices: stop now or face jail.