Two businesses in Half Moon Bay were broken into and robbed over the weekend, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
One incident occurred on the 300 block of Main Street; the other at the Strawflower Shopping Center.
The suspect(s) entered the businesses by either prying open or manipulating the locking mechanism in the door. Once inside, they targeted the cash register.
In both instances, the business owners did the right thing by removing the money from the register upon closing to minimize loss, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. Unfortunately, the suspect(s) took other items of value from the businesses.
Investigators are following up on leads in these cases. If you have any information regarding any of these cases, please contact the Sheriff's Office at (650) 363-4911.
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office reminds residents to report any suspicious activity by calling 911 and to consider these safety measures:
• Keys, which can only be duplicated by locksmith, are recommended.
• Only issue keys to those employees who need them. Offices and high security areas should have different keys than the rest of the business and be only accessible to the owner and or manager.
• Upon separation or the firing of an employee, all areas of security, which that employee had access to need to be changed immediately. Re-key any locks, deactivate alarm and security codes and change the combination to the safe.
• Secure and lock all doors and windows, when the business is not open. Only open or unlock those doors and windows as necessary during business hours.
• Whenever having any security systems or devices installed, check the company’s credentials, references and view systems which that company has installed to ensure you are getting what you paid for, what you need and what will work for you.
In general, burglars are relatively lazy and don’t want to work too hard. The more security conscious you are and the more difficult you make it to become a victim, the greater chance the burglar is going to leave your business alone.
