Armed robbery at Mall
2007-01-25
Lise Beyers
A SECURITY guard at the Paarl Mall was knocked unconscious on Monday evening, during an armed robbery.
The security guard was manning the locked doors at the central entrance to allow restaurant personel to leave after their shifts, when he was summoned by an unidentified man on the outside.
The guard refused to open the door, but when the assailant produced a firearm, he was forced to open it.
Three more men appeared and he was then hit on the head with the firearm before losing consciousness.
The men stormed into the Mall and smashed a window of Musica music store, to get away with 12 CD’s.
It is suspected that they were after more valuable items but they fled when they realised that security reinforcements were on their way.
The manager of Paarl Mall, Lisa de Boer, said that she is highly relieved that the security guard did not sustain serious injuries, or worse.
“In the past few months we have been doing our utmost to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.
“Our success rate has been good, because during the festive season cases of shoplifting have dramatically decreased.
De Boer explained that they have recently installed security gates at the two entrances to the Mall’s parking area.
In the future these will be locked from 23:30 at night.
The Cecilia Street gate will be manned by a guard, while other guards will continue to patrol the entire area.
Besides these, additional security cameras have been installed and all entrances to the Mall at this time will be strictly monitored.
The assailants fled in a blue Renault with ND registration plates.
Police are in the process of investigating footage from the security cameras in order to identify the men.
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