Editor –

Crime in this country is affecting us all, but nowhere does it seem to be worse than here in Estcourt.
In the short time I have lived in Estcourt, I have experienced three episodes of bag snatching, one where I was personally involved and two others involving friends of mine.

Just in the last couple of weeks, there have been two incidents of bag snatching outside a local shopping centre. I have personally seen the video recordings of both incidents, both of them perpetrated by men wearing similar clothing and each time involving considerable violence.

SEE IT HERE: [VIDEO] Couple left traumatised after attack in parking lot

Both incidents happened in roughly the same place, namely the parking area at a shopping centre. Both cases involved shoppers returning to their vehicles and loading their purchases into the boot of their car.

While they were distracted with this, two men approached them from behind and violently ripped the handbag away from the unsuspecting victims. In the first incident, a lady was dragged along the tarmac, causing her considerable physical injury, not to mention the emotional trauma an attack like this inevitably brings.

The second incident took place just after 6pm on October 17. The situation was similar. A lady, on her own, was taking her trolley from the store to her car. When she opened the boot, she was approached from behind and her bag was violently snatched from her. Where do you get help in a situation like this?

The lady in the second incident I mentioned ran back into the store to seek assistance and the security guards refused to help her. They were not even willing to make a phone call on her behalf. The police didn’t respond at all in either of these incidents, when called. The police force in Estcourt needs a serious wake-up call; start taking your duties more seriously.

The owners of the centre need to take the security of their customers more seriously as well. The security company responsible for the shopping centre informed me that there was only one security guard on duty at the time of these incidents. This is simply not good enough. Personal safety must be more important than profit. Something needs to be done.

Ian Armstrong

NOW READ: Horrific moment: Man attacks local couple in attempted bag snatching

Click to receive news links via WhatsApp. Or for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter