Three businesses on Big Basin Way have been broken into in the last few weeks. In another incident, a couple posing as buyers walked off with a $6,500 ring from a jewelry store.

The business owners are roiled and angry about the rising crime in the Village. Patricia Smith, owner of Pat Smith's Deli, said that her employees walked into her business on Feb. 21 to find change all over the floor.

"[The intruders] picked the lock on the front door," Smith said.

The burglars then rifled through the store but did not take any of the food. "I think it is pretty brazen to break open a front door," she said.

The burglars took about $10 in coins. "But they missed $40 rolled up in a drawer. I guess they were not very smart," Smith said.

The cash register at the deli was unlocked and did not have any money in it.

A day later, an incident of a similar nature occurred at the Hair Conception, a hair salon a few doors away from the deli. This time, the damage was substantial. The burglars decamped with items worth $9,000. Employees arrived at the store to find the front door locks broken.

"They broke some glass and stole our make-up line. The burglars even took a big box of make-up that we wanted to donate to a woman's shelter," said Gilbert Du Pont, owner of the Hair Conception.

A few checks and a topiary are also missing from the store.

"They were here for a long time. They went through the boxes and the different stations," Du Pont said. "They also used the bathroom."

Du Pont said he was surprised that the burglars were bold enough to use the front door to break in.

A week before these two incidents, burglars had tried to break in to the Buy and Save grocery store in the Saratoga Village Square. But the alarm at the store went off when the burglars tried to break open the back door.

The alarm company representatives called the sheriff's department. Deputies searched the area but they did not find anyone.

Stephen Michael Howard Jewelers, a store on Big Basin Way, was hit on Feb. 11. A couple walked into the store and asked to see the various rings on display.

"I was uncomfortable the moment they walked in. But I am doing business here. I do not want to be rude to anyone," Howard said.

The couple asked a lot of questions. "They were here a long time," he said.

Sometime during the course of that visit, the couple pocketed a $6,500 diamond ring. Howard did not discover the missing ring until the next day. This is the third such incident at the store in 18 years.

"I was very careful but they successfully distracted me," he said.

Capt. John Hirokawa of the West Valley Sheriff's Substation refused to speculate on the incidents. "We are still collecting information," he said. "We are seeing a trend. Property crimes are definitely going up."

He asked for the community's help in reporting crimes. "No matter how many officers we have, we still need the help of the community. If you see anything suspicious, just call 911," Hirokawa said. He indicated that property crimes go up in the months right after Christmas.

Du Pont said that the number of sheriff's patrol cars in the area seemed to have gone down in the last three years. He said that he was alarmed that crimes like these were occurring in Saratoga, perceived to be a safe community.

"We have installed a new alarm system," Du Pont said.