October 23 saw community members duck for cover as eight men entered a store in Fourways Crossing and rob it of camera equipment before firing shots at the store at their getaway.
Douglasdale police were on the scene and reported that no injuries or damage to property occurred. After receiving reports of the incident, Brigadier Veeshani Arikum, station commander for Douglasdale Police Station, said there investigations were still ongoing.
One community member who was at the shopping centre when the incident occurred said she does not feel safe at all at the shopping centre. Nthabiseng More works at a store near the affected shop, and recounted what she remembered from the day. “I didn’t see much, but we at the shop heard gunshots. We went to the door to check what was going on, and then closed our doors to keep safe. The guys then ran outside so it means they didn’t have the car inside,” she told Fourways Review.
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“It looked like it was planned. The way they came in and went out, it was almost like they knew we were going to have load-shedding during that time and cameras won’t be on at that time. Also, at that time, there are less customers so there is less visibility.”
She added that she does not feel safe at the shopping centre due to the store’s requirement to operate during load-shedding even though they do not have back-up power. “That is not safe at all. Should we open the doors, we don’t know if you’re a customer or not. During load-shedding, I don’t think we should operate just for safety, not just for the store but for our lives,” More said.
On behalf of the shopping centre, marketing manager Smriti Boodhram said the safety of the shoppers is their top priority thanks to the collaborative effort with police, community safety, the centre’s security service provider, and armed response.
Methods of security have been previously installed to maintain said safety priority. “A spike and boom entry-exit system was installed with LPR (license plate recognition) capabilities linked to the national natis database. Our security complement has been increased and police have pledged their service commitment in terms of more frequent visits to the shopping Centre together with Community Safety Patrollers who will be deployed,” she said.
“Although the incident did occur during load-shedding, our security compliment stayed intact and visible. Alleged perpetrators fled on foot, however, all our security systems are linked to back-up emergency power.”
The police appeal to members of the community with information that might assist police investigation to contact Douglasdale Police Station on 011 699 1300/33 or 08600 10111. Alternatively, use the MySAPSApp to provide tip-offs anonymously, or contact the nearest police station.
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