An investment in burglar bars at his Pembroke home is credited with saving the life of a senior police officer, or perhaps, the would-be burglar.{{more}}

Outspoken Station Sergeant Calvin Glasgow, attached to the traffic department of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, said that the burglar who came to his home in the early hours of Tuesday morning left practically empty handed when he failed to get into the house.

“It’s a good thing I have the burglar bars at the door, or I might not be speaking to you right now,” Glasgow said during his SEARCHLIGHT interview.

“When a thief comes into your house he comes to steal and to kill.”

Glasgow explained that the burglar got past the door by cutting around the deadbolt lock, but was hampered by the iron door which prevented him from entering the house.

The veteran officer said after failing to enter, the burglar broke into his vehicle and ransacked it, only taking with him a packet of chewing gum for his efforts.

Glasgow was not the only person who was spared that night; another resident of the area who did not wish to be identified said that her house was broken into around the same time.

“Whoever it was had cut the lock out of the door, and was about to enter the house,” the female resident indicated. “But thank God I woke up the same time and when I turned on the light the person ran away.”

The concerned homeowner disclosed that there has been a rash of house and vehicle break-ins in that neighborhood, as well as in the Cane Grove, Twenty Hill and Buccament areas over the past few weeks.

She said that close to ten homes had been broken into during that period and pondered the backlash if the trend were to continue and spread to the Buccament Bay Hotel and Resort which is being developed in the area.

Meanwhile, Glasgow, offering advice to home and vehicle owners, urged that no valuables be left in vehicles and at night before they go to sleep, ensure that all windows and doors are locked and secured.

He recommended that apart from budgeting for burglar bars to safeguard a home, for extra safety, barrel bolts can be added to doors and bolted into the floor; this way they are practically burglar proof.

The veteran police officer, reflecting on the situation says he has concluded that the perpetrators must not be from the area, or they would not have attempted to come into his home.

“If they can break into my home – the home of a licensed firearm holder – you can imagine that they would break into any home.”

“There is no way a thief is going to come into my house and live,” Glasgow said. (JJ)