Following hot on the heels of the break-in at Centre 64 on Sunday, July 5, in which a quantity of cash was stolen from a locked arts council administration office, thieves again broke into the arts centre on Saturday night, July 11, this time stealing a brand new computer from the same office previously broken into.

The method of entry into the building was the same as on the previous occasion. Given the similarity between the two break-ins, Kimberley Arts Council staff and directors suspect that the same thieves were involved.

The theft was discovered by administrative assistant Irma de Visser on Sunday when she entered the arts centre and discovered her office door, newly installed to replace the door damaged in the previous break-in, broken open once again. Her new Dell Optiplex 3020 computer was missing and the draws in the desk had been ransacked. A storage room had also been broken into from which a projector had been stolen.

Disheartened but not defeated, Kimberley Arts Council is now reinforcing all exterior doors and will install motion detector lights. In addition, cash and computers are now being removed from the premises at close of the workday and keys secured.

An ironic post-it note stuck on the outside of the door used in the two break-ins by a volunteer helping in the repair work states: “No cash on premises; you’ve got it all. Thanks.”

Kimberley Arts Council

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