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Lawrenceville businesses facing increase in burglaries

PITTSBURGH — There’s an increase in businesses being burglarized in Lawrenceville.

Channel 11 found out a cash register and money were taken from Piccolo Forno on Butler Street on Wednesday after we reported last week about a burglary at another café.

Last week, the owner of Caffe d’Amore on Butler Street discovered nearly $1,500 from four cash bags in her office were missing. And she says security cameras are now a necessity.

“We’re trying to increase vigilance," said Dave Breingan, executive director of nonprofit Lawrenceville United.

“So we have three standing block watches every month in each section of the neighborhood where businesses can come together with police to talk about trends happening in neighborhood."

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He told Channel 11 the group is working with security companies to add a layer of protection some neighborhood businesses may not have, like “investing in a security system or getting cameras on property, residential or commercial," he said.

“We’ve had a 70 percent reduction in burglaries just since 2010, so while this is a concerning uptick that we're seeing in the last month or two, overall, Lawrenceville is a safe place to be.”

No arrests have been made in any of the recent burglaries, and police say some of the businesses have been burglarized more than once.