What to do during a mall robbery

Since the beginning of the year, there have been at least two major mall robberies reported in the country.

In late January, gunmen stormed a crowded shopping centre in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, and injured three customers and two security guards in a shootout that ensued.

Earlier that month, CCTV cameras captured about nine suspects, armed with handguns and hammers, storming into Cape

Town’s Blue Route Mall and robbing a jewellery store while terrified shoppers scurried away and took cover.

According to police spokesperson Constable Mpho Mashakane, customers should always be on the lookout for any suspicious activities and be aware of the people around them.

Mashakane added shoppers should cooperate with robbers for their own safety.

The ER24 trauma support coordinator, Henning Jacobs, said the atmosphere at shopping centres following a robbery was usually tense and emotional.

“People do not know what to do. They cannot think straight. It is also quiet as people are afraid to make any noise. Some people cannot stop crying, while others are numb and do not want to say a word,” Jacobs said.

He added victims should seek counselling, regardless of how they might feel, as it often took some time to experience and deal with the post-traumatic stress following such robberies.

Last year, Gauteng police reported that malls in the province had been hit 11 times between August 13 and September 9 in a string of robberies, which mostly involved cellphone stores inside shopping centres.

Police said they suspected all the robbers had inside information, either from employees or security guards.