Charnel Hattingh, National Marketing and Communications Manager, Fidelity ADT writes:
Last week Gauteng has seen two incidents of mall robberies taking place, one in Pretoria and one in Woodmead.
An incident was reported in our local Bela Mall as well. Knowing what to do in the event of a mall robbery, could save your life.
The golden rule if you are caught in the middle of a heist, is to stay calm.
Customers need to remain vigilant at all times and should always be on the lookout for any suspicious activities and be aware of the people around them.
Crime is becoming more sophisticated, with inside information playing an increasingly prominent role. Whether you were in the store being robbed, or just witnessed the incident in the centre, you should seek counselling, regardless of how you might feel. It often takes some time to experience and deal with the post-traumatic stress following such robberies.
Fidelity ADT provides the following useful advice:
If you are in the store that is being robbed:
- Co-operate with robbers for your own safety. Listen to their instructions closely and follow their instructions;
- Try to keep as calm as possible. Everyone reacts in a different way, but try to breathe deeply until help arrives;
- Do not use your cell phone whilst the robbery is in process. This could agitate the assailants;
- Immediately try to find a sheltered spot and keep low on the ground;
- Take note of the assailants to pass information on to the authorities. Take note of what they were wearing, any distinctive clothes, markings, jewellery, tattoos or distinctive marks, etc. Try to remember what they look like i.e. height, weight, etc;
- Ensure your children are kept close to you at all times. Do not let children wander off while you are shopping;
- Do not shop with large amounts of cash or valuables.
If you are not in the store being robbed:
- Speak with the store personnel to firstly close the roller shutter doors. This is also standard operating procedures in many malls and move to the back of the store, out of sight;
- Try to find a store closest to you and secure yourself as described above;
- Do not try to exit via the standard entry and exit points as these are the same points the robbers will be using. Many malls now have standard operating procedures to lock down the mall.
