TWO armed robberies in the space of four days at a Musgrave retirement centre has not only left staff and residents rattled and on high alert, but has forced them to implement further security measures.
Terry Sterling, general manager of Garden Grove, said he was perplexed as to why the retirement centre had been targeted as it was not a cash business.
The retirement centre was first hit at 4.37am on 16 January when armed intruders ran in the exit gate as a vehicle was leaving.
“Our guard was outnumbered. The intruders kicked open the reception gate and the reception security guard pushed the panic button for ADT armed response. Our staff was robbed of their cash and cellphones and the robbers then broke into our admin officers and stole three computers,” he said, adding that this all occurred in under three minutes.
The second incident took place on Sunday, 20 January at 7.15pm. Sterling said a car drove up to the front driveway gate and the driver told security he was an Uber taxi collecting a resident.
“The guard called through to the reception security who replied that no one was waiting for an Uber. As he returned to tell the driver this, he was held up by the men in the vehicle. They took the guard’s keys and opened the driveway gate and parked in front of reception. The reception guard did not realise the security guard at the gate was compromised, and the men entered the reception area and held up staff, taking their cellphones and money,” he said.
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Sterling said the panic button was activated after which the intruders broke into the admin offices and upon discovering there were no computers in the office, they tried to break into the ground floor suites.
“They tried bashing in the first two doors, but they were locked. They found the third door open and entered the suite and forced the resident’s diamond ring off her finger and removed her TV. They then left the property,” he said, adding that the average age of the residents at the centre was 84.
He said in both incidents the armed response arrived within six minutes and the SAPS in 10 minutes, but the intruders were in and out in three minutes.
“We have met with security experts and they are advising us on measures we need to implement to upgrade and create additional security that is needed. We have urged our residents to be vigilant and to lock their suite doors and have posted additional guards on the premises, improved perimeter lighting and are keeping our front gate and door locked and only opened if we know the visitor. It is a hideous situation, but we have to carry on. We are on high alert, it’s hateful but there is only so much we can do,” he said.
Responding to the increase in crime in the ward (ward 31) and two neighbouring wards, the councillors Christopher Pappas, Martin Meyer and Mmabatho Tembe, said they were working closely with law enforcement agencies to address the spike in crime. They urged residents to exercise extra caution as criminals appeared to be getting more brazen and violent.
The councillors said they would be writing to Metro Police and SAPS calling for extra deployments of resources to deal with the surge in crime and will request more visible foot patrols around hotspot areas and vulnerable areas such as school pick up points and shopping centres.
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