Kevin Hillier says there’s nothing to be gained by fighting off robbers
It was nothing out of the ordinary. I walked to the checkout, put down my goods and in response to the cheery “How are you?”
I said, “How’s your day going?”
The reply gobsmacked me. “I just got robbed,” she said calmly.
“When?”
“About 10 minutes ago.”
“Are you OK?
“Yes, I’m fine. It happens nearly every day and more than once on weekends.”
The thieves are pretty brazen from what I was told. Staff are instructed to do little more than yell and ring police, which makes perfect sense. Obviously CCTV footage is available in most of these cases, but it doesn’t seem to be a big deterrent. I was also told the offenders are getting younger and younger. This is certainly not just a western suburbs thing, and this is just one shop. I am sure others have similar stories.
The only saving grace here is that this was a non-violent robbery, a classic snatch and run.
Have we reached the point where all shopping centres, including strip shops, need to have security guards on duty? Who pays for that? The centre owners or the shopkeepers? I guess that comes down to who’s losing the most.
My concern is for the workers who are, literally, in the firing line. My dad was pistol-whipped twice in his days at a self-serve petrol station by armed robbers wanting to empty the till. I used to worry when my son was working late nights in a local bottle shop on his own and I’m sure plenty of parents, partners and family have similar safety concerns.
It also brings up the question: If you saw a robbery like the one I’m talking about, what would you do? The sensible answer is to not get involved, apart from maybe dialling 000. The days of rugby-tackling fleeing offenders are long gone, thank goodness. My dad tried to grab the gun out of the hands of his attacker and, thankfully, lived to tell the tale.
The motto here is like the old Paper Lace song Don’t be a hero. They don’t pay you more and the stakes are too high if it all goes wrong. Send me your stories or experiences by email. ■
If you have any news or events, let me know at kevin@howdypartnersmedia. com.au
