A St George’s jewellers was burgled yesterday — the third time the premises have been hit in three months.

Police said that two men broke in to the Vera P. Card store on Water Street, at about 3.45am and stole jewellery.

The burglary is the latest in a series of crimes that have plagued the store this summer.

Jan Card, the owner of the store, declined to comment on the latest break-in.

Less than two weeks after the store reopened for the tourist season, three men broke into the store and stole unspecified items at 3am on May 11.

The shop was targeted again two weeks later when three men broke in during the early hours of May 24 and stole jewellery.

Mr Card said after the second incident that the burglaries had cost the business “thousands of dollars” and that both crimes had the same hallmarks.

He added: “It’s pretty clear this time from the timing that these guys waited until the patrol vehicle left St George’s and then went to work.”

Mr Card said: “For someone selling precious metal jewellery in St George’s — and there are only two of us left — it makes you very nervous and it makes you consider no longer selling precious metal jewellery.”

He warned: “If something doesn’t change, we have to take away the items that they want to steal, the jewellery, and the result of that to the business would be disastrous.

“If there’s not a change in the level of deterrence, then we cannot continue to do the business that we are doing in St George’s. That will leave only one jeweller for them to prey on, so you know what will happen next.”

Last night George Dowling III, the mayor of St George, told people at a town hall meeting that Stephen Corbishley, the Commissioner of Police, remained committed to increasing the police presence in the town.

Mr Dowling said: “We are working to find space in the town to house him and his unit. We will have a police presence in St George’s as soon as practicable.”

Police asked people who saw anything suspicious or retailers with CCTV footage to contact Detective Constable Seymour Foote on 717-2282 or Detective Constable Mark McCormack on 717-2207, or the confidential Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-8477.