Thieves steal 1000 pairs of glasses Bonn optician remains calm after his shop was broken into
Bonn · At the weekend, unknown persons stole almost all the frames from an optician's shop. But the shop owner is taking it in his stride, despite the high losses.
When Frank von Dobschinski got to work on Monday, his employee was standing in the salesroom of the optician’s shop on Borsigallee waiting for him. He greeted him with the words: "They emptied the shop. There's nothing left." It took a while for the meaning to sink in, Dobschinski said one day later.
According to the police report, the perpetrators broke into the shop between 1 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. on Monday. "As far we know so far, the burglars gained access by forcibly opening the front door of the shop. Then, according to initial findings, they stole more than 1,000 pairs of glasses and fled unrecognised with their loot," the report says.
One of his first thoughts on Monday was: "Great, you don't need to do an inventory," says von Dobschinski. The walls where the frames usually hang are now empty. He estimates that he still has about 80 pairs of glasses. "They missed two drawers," says the optician. "And a few were still in the shop window."
He also says that the burglars were probably not only after the frames, but also some machines - such as a device to adjust progressive lenses. "It looked like they had been got ready to be taken away," says von Dobschinski. Does he have any idea what the perpetrators would do with 1000 frames? He doesn't have any idea, but he says: "It seems to be organised."
In Bonn and Hardtberg, break-ins in shops have been decreasing in recent years. In the Hardtberg district, the statistics for last year show four cases, seven less than the average of the last five years. Opticians are among the shops affected throughout the city. In 2021, for example, a shop on Sternstraße was hit. The perpetrators stole 2,000 spectacle frames and sunglasses. Damage: 250,000 euros.
Damage between 60,000 and 80,000 euros
Von Dobschinski is only just beginning to get an overview of what exactly was stolen, how big the damage really is. Something between 60,000 and 80,000 euros, he estimates. "We are insured," he says. "Now we will see if we are well insured."
He is now also waiting to get new frames from his suppliers. "Today I already had to send three customers home". He sells three to five pairs of glasses a day, he says. He expects it will be a while before replacements arrive. But he hopes that it will be after Christmas, because that is when many customers come to his shop.
Despite everything, von Dobschinski seems calm, almost composed. The night after the burglary, the optician says, his mind was racing. But: it was not a robbery, no one was hurt. He says he generally has a positive view of things. "It’s my way to remain objective in emergency situations. When others are ranting and raving."
The police ask that witnesses call ☎ 02 28/15 0.
Original text: Dennis Scherer
Translation: Jean Lennox
