Glocell in Town Square at Constantia was robbed of an undisclosed number of cellphones in broad daylight, uncovering a lack general of security at the centre.
The Honeydew SAPS responded to the incident on 9 June and opened a case of business robbery. Since then, there have been no arrests or developments in the case.
Willie Rheeder, an audiologist at Healthy Hearing, a neighbouring store in Town Square, saw the incident while he was taking a smoke break outside his store.
Rheeder explained it was about 11am when he saw two armed men run out of Glocell and jump into a vehicle. Rheeder made his way over to Glocell and saw that the shop assistants had been tied up and the store had been robbed.
Glocell wished not to comment and interfere with police investigations but a store clerk did confirm Rheeder’s statements. Honeydew SAPS Warrant Officer, Karen Jacobs confirmed there were three suspects, two of whom entered the shop at 11am and carried pistols. The shop assistants were ordered to go to the back of the store and were tied up. The suspects escaped in a light grey Audi Q7. There was no shots fired or any serious injuries.
However, this seems to be one incident in the bigger picture of security at Town Square, as tenants have raised a concern about the security of the centre. Broll Property Management group, who manages the centre, has confirmed the robbery but did not comment on the security of the Town Square at the time of going to print.
A tenant, who wants to remain anonymous, said Broll’s response to security concerns is to ensure that they are ‘beefing up security’ but tenants see minimal results.
Warrant Officer Karen Jacobs of Honeydew SAPS said business robberies and business burglaries are showing an increase in the Honeydew precinct. Business owners and managers are urged to ensure that they have adequate security in place.
Jacobs issued the following tips with regards to preventing business robberies:
- Test the security on a regular basis to ensure that panic buttons are working
- Ensure that you have all the emergency numbers visible for your staff members in case of an emergency, especially after hours
- Strategically install surveillance cameras and implement some form of access control
- Make sure all persons, including visitors, can be clearly identified
- Take special precautionary measures at opening and closing times. Do not leave only one person responsible for opening and locking up the business
- Devise a security plan, including ways to raise the alarm in the case of emergency.
Details: Honeydew SAPS, 011 801 8400.
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UPDATE: No leads in Glocell robberyÂ
