Thieves made a pre-dawn raid on a sports store recently and took off with golf equipment estimated to be worth between 5,000 and 10,000 euros. Robbers targeted new and second-hand golf clubs, but were interrupted by neighbours before they completed the robbery. Expatriate American, John Patterson, owner of the Texas Golf store on Quatro Estradas, spoke to The Resident about the interrupted burglary.
“It must have been around 5am when they broke into the shop. They removed the lock in a very professional manner,” revealed John Patterson, who has lived in the Algarve for 16 years and has been in his current premises for three and a half years. “Fortunately, neighbours overheard a noise coming from the shop, triggering the speedy departure of the thieves. So they didn’t really complete what they set out to do. But, unfortunately, they stole a lot of sentimental stuff that doesn’t really have much commercial value, including a replica of a Calloway golf club.”
John told The Resident he would make improvements to security as a safety precaution, even though, as a retailer, he has only ever experienced one other robbery. “I have never been robbed here before, but I worked in another shop in Vale de Éguas, just outside of Almancil, and I was the victim of a big robbery there around 10 years ago.”
Police are currently studying video footage of the theft at Texas Golf – film that John has also inspected. “They looked very young,” he told The Resident. “One of them was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt and another may have been a construction worker who knows something about breaking locks.”
