Jewelry Stores Reduce Hours in Reaction to Insecurity

(Acapulco, AN 25 August) The president of the jewelers association in Guerrero, Arturo Flores Mercado, announced with regret three armed robberies of jewelry outlets in the central district of Acapulco last Friday, all of them on Cinco de Mayo Street. In response, the jewelry stores are changing their store hours. Instead of opening at 9:00 am, they will open at 11:00 am, and all will close before dark, so as not to expose their employees unduly to the risk of theft and injury. He also said that many assaults on jewelry stores go unreported, for fear that the thieves will take personal reprisals against the victims. According to those who work in the shops, the police are ineffective in preventing robberies and in protecting them from harm. “None of the stolen merchandise is ever recovered,” they say. Gold jewelry is melted down and sold as gold metal, especially with world prices hitting new highs.