GLENVISTA – The men held the staff at gunpoint and took cash. No shots were fired. The suspects were apparently driving a white Peugeot hatchback.
Community Police Forum patrollers, Glenvista Victim Support Unit and Mondeor SAPS attended the scene.
A case of business robbery has been opened with Mondeor SAPS.
Various tenants in this centre have experienced robberies, with Checkers robbed twice in the last few months.
In light of Bedford Centre being in the news last week after the tragic shooting incident, how safe do shoppers feel when they go to shopping centres?
The CHRONICLE spoke to a few shoppers who were at Glenvista Shopping Centre on Monday February 2, after the latest robbery had taken place.
“I’ve never been in such an incident, thank God, and I do feel quite safe when I’m shopping,” said a man from Randhart.
“We don’t feel safe at all! This is our local shopping centre and we are here every week. We don’t think it’s just this centre. Robberies seem to be taking place all over Johannesburg and surrounding areas. Shopping is not a pleasant experience, you are looking over your shoulder all the time,” added Sharon Leisher and Lynne Bruce.
Mrs Santo said, “No-one is safe anymore. I’ve been in two incidents at shops when they have been robbed and I think about it all the time when I go out shopping. Both times were extremely frightening and I’m just glad I got out unharmed.”
Another young woman said, “I don’t think about what could happen. I have to shop so I just get on with it.”
The CHRONICLE spoke to one of the security guards in the parking lot. “I get to know regular customers and I know exactly which vehicles they drive. All the security guards in the parking lot carry panic buttons and if we see anyone or anything suspicious we press the button and an alarm goes off in the control room.
“We try the best we can to keep the customers and their vehicles safe. We keep our eyes and ears open and anything suspicious is reported,” he said.
The CHRONICLE is trying to get hold of the centre management at Glenvista Shopping Centre, to find out what extra safety measures have been put in place after recent robberies.
