The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Free National Movement’s Fort Charlotte constituency office was broken into between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the party’s local candidate Mark Humes said yesterday.

Thieves stole a 37-inch and a 24-inch flat screen TV. They removed three computers, five computer monitors and two cordless phones from the data room where they were located and dumped them in the kitchen room.

“We don’t know what their intention was,” Mr Humes said. “I don’t know if they were expecting to come back or if they did this just to be mischievous. At the end of the day, no matter their intention, they could have taken the whole building and it still won’t stop me.”

Important campaign data was not stolen or compromised, Mr Humes said, adding that such information is not stored at that location.

Although the motives of the thieves remain unclear, Mr Humes chalked it up to the political season.

“I don’t want to assume but this is political season,” he said. “If it’s fanatics, this is that season and I’m going to tie it to that. This is the first time this has happened.”

Mr Humes said the robbery took place sometime after he left the office at 9pm Tuesday and when his mother arrived at the office at 8.30am yesterday. She found a back door entrance to the office open.

Mr Humes said he is concerned about the safety of his staff, although he did not reveal what steps he will take to secure the office in the future.

“Someone came in the office the other day and accosted my office manager, two young ladies,” he said. “I am concerned in this time about their safety, no doubt.”

Police officers, Mr Humes said, arrived at the office on Providence Avenue around 9am yesterday.

Yesterday, Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts told The Tribune that one of the party’s constituency offices, believed to be Killarney, was also recently the target of thieves.