Connecticut’s Jewelers Hit Hard By Organized Smash-and-grab Crime

It's been a bad month for jewelry retailers in Connecticut, and it's only January 21. Numerous 'Smash and grab' robberies have been reported over the past week across Connecticut, with thieves targeting shopping malls and standalone stores during the spree.

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Even though almost every inch of retail in Connecticut is under video surveillance, thieves still find a way to make off with the goods. While scrolling through social media over the weekend, I noticed that attempted 'Smash and Grab' robberies had been reported at Kay Jewelers locations in Waterbury's Brass Mill Center Mall, the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, and a Kay Jewelers in Bristol along Farmington Avenue. I also saw a couple of unsubstantiated reports of an attempt at Danbury Fair Mall, and the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester.

My wife works at a big-box national retailer with over 1,000+ locations across the nation and multiple stores all over Connecticut. Shoplifting has always been a problem, but in recent years organized shoplifting has become so much more of a problem. I can't tell you how many times she has come home from work and told me about the $2,500 in product that someone had just thrown into a shopping bag and walked out with.

The tough part of trying to contain your instinct to stop a thief under threat of termination is real. Employees are honestly being told by their supervisors to stand back and let whatever happen. So far there have been no arrests announced regarding these incidents. Does everything have to be locled up in a retail setting in 2026?