Brazen Burglary Attempt at Holy Redeemer Credit Union

A brazen attempt at burglarizing the nation’s largest credit union was thwarted by an alarm system. On Monday morning, two men created an opening in the concrete wall at the rear of the Holy Redeemer Credit Union building in Belize City. They then entered the financial institution but no sooner beat a hasty retreat, after the building’s alarm system was triggered. It is not the first time that thieves have targeted a financial institution in Belize. Tonight, we cannot say exactly what these culprits were after, but initial reports suggest that they did not make off with anything. News Five’s Paul Lopez visited the office on Hyde’s Lane in Belize City. He filed the following report.

Clement Usher

Clement Usher, Chief Financial Officer, H.R.C.U.

“We were alerted by KBH Security that the alarm went off. So, as usual they called in for assistance at their headquarters and they came over and then they called us and we came down and when we came down we found that they had penetrated the building, which is kind of scary because you don’t expect that they would get into a building like this.”

It is like a scene from a movie about an elaborate bank theft. At around four- thirty a.m. on Monday, two men somehow penetrated the concrete wall of the Holy Redeemer Credit Union here in Belize City and made their way inside.

Clement Usher

“But nothing happened; they were in here for less than ten seconds as the camera shows. They got in and when the alarm went off the exited quickly. We know it is at least two. One was inside, one was coming through the hole that was made, but nothing ransacked, no money scattered all over the place.”

According to police, the outer wall was breached near the vault where millions of dollars in assets are secured.

Fitzroy Yearwood

ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Director, B.P.D.

“Police visited the Holy Redeemer Credit Union on Hyde’s Lane where they spoke to the manager of credit union, Mr. Henry Usher who showed police officers a hole in the wall near the vault of the credit union. A report was made earlier by the security at the credit union where sometime around four thirteen he heard the alarm go off at the credit union. The main office for their security was contacted and they reported to police that when they visited the scene they saw a male person entering the building through the wall wearing a hazmat suit. That person made a short walk through the building andwent back through the hole that he entered in and made good his escape. Upon making checks in the building two holes were seen in the wall but only one had access to inside the building.”

While Usher says the culprits did not make off with anything, police say they are yet to ascertain whether items were stolen from inside.  But, how did these men manage to break into the country’s largest credit union without being heard? Usher believes the break-in was perfectly timed to take place during a party where loud music was being played from a nearby property.

Clement Usher

“Apparently we are hearing that someone was playing loud music around the place because the security was complaining about it. So, you know when these criminals are out to do mischief the4y do everything to protect themselves. They did not use a drill or anything to get in. What they did was use a jack and they just pumped it up, pumped it up until the wall gave in and that how they got in.”

Paul Lopez

“Speak to how devastating of a situation it would have been if they had in fact gotten in.”

Clement Usher

“Well, they got in, so it is not that they did not get in. but, they would never get into our vaults, so it is fruitless. It is useless for them to try to get into that vault. But, they could have done a lot of damage. They could have stolen computers and stuff like that, but they walked off with not even a paper clip anything.”

H.R.C.U. is now looking at upgrading their security system in an attempt to ensure that such an incident is not repeated. Police believe that the perpetrators had some level of experience, given the tools used to create the opening in the wall.

Fitzroy Yearwood

“From the hole in the wall we would want to say that these criminals are either educating themselves by watching all these CSI and so forth. Or they just watch a lot of Netflix movies. But, I am certain that our detectives are prepared for these types of crimes and I am certain that we will find out something sooner than later. And, in this little country of ours, a crime of that nature, people would want to go and boast and we are hoping that they would.”

Reporting for News Five I am Paul Lopez