ISAAC MAHLANGU

16 October 2005 

A HIGH-level meeting has found that the Rosebank Mall, where a police reservist was shot dead during an armed robbery, urgently needs skilled security personnel.

On Friday, in the trendy mall’s auditorium, it was revealed that security personnel who patrolled the area did not have the skills to identify the warning signs that a crime was about to be committed.

The meeting included senior representatives of the SA Police Service, local Democratic Alliance ward councillor Judy Stockill, representatives of the Rosebank Management District and businesspeople.

This meeting was held in the wake of a spate of attacks in the Rosebank Mall and on hotels and shops in the surrounding area.

Last Sunday 11 men armed with AK-47s and other weapons stormed the Pick ’n Pay supermarket, forcing staff to empty the tills.

A police reservist who was at the mall was alerted to the robbery and was killed in a shootout with the gang as they left. An undisclosed amount of money was taken.

Just five weeks ago, a security guard was shot dead and two others were wounded in a shootout at the mall.

The foiled robbery took place at 10.55am after SBV security men entered the mall to deliver cash. Between four and seven robbers were involved in the attack.

In the past few weeks robberies have taken place at three Rosebank hotels, the Pick ’n Pay supermarket and a bottle store.

Chris Wilken, a Joburg police spokesman, said police were working on a security plan for all Joburg shopping malls in anticipation of the coming festive season.

Although he did not want to reveal details of the plan, he said visible policing would be increased.

But barely 24 hours before the task team met in Rosebank, another policeman was shot dead during an armed robbery at Nedbank in the Northgate shopping centre, about 15km away.

Now, to protect the Rosebank Mall, it has been recommended that;

• Closed-circuit TV cameras should be upgraded and they should be positioned in such a way that they clearly capture a criminal’s face;
• Security guards should be issued with pocketbooks to take notes and record suspicious activities; and
• People should not be allowed to sit in stationary vehicles in or near the exits of the parking lots.

Sheila Camerer, a DA MP from Sandton who was also at the meeting, said she was campaigning for legislation to govern how large amounts of cash are transported to and from malls.

Camerer said large amounts of cash should be collected at a central spot in a mall, away from shoppers.

Stockill said the Joburg council could not just be a “bystander” even though it was a police function to combat armed robberies.

She said the city needed to deploy Metro police officers to help.

Stockill said Rosebank was an easy target for criminals because it was accessible.

This week customers noticed a new notice board in the Rosebank Pick ’n Pay with a message reading: “Please note that this store is now monitored off-site with digital surveillance cameras.”

Nick Badminton, Pick ’n Pay’s managing director, said the supermarket chain had increased security in all its stores.

Leila Daya, the Rosebank Mall’s manager, said the centre did not plan to put armed guards on patrol.

“We don’t want to have a Wild West shootout taking place at the mall,” she said.

Daya said management was working towards keeping as little cash as possible at the mall.

She said it was policy not to resist robberies because that might put the lives of innocents at risk.

“ In the event of an armed robbery we don’t intend to be heroes. We are doing everything to make sure that staff and customers are safe,” she said.

Wilken said there was “no way” police could prevent every mall attack.

“These shopping centres are soft targets and we cannot have a situation where we have a large number of armed [police] patrolling the malls,” he said.

Wilken said police had advised malls to install metal detectors at entrances to make entry difficult for armed robbers.

Rosebank fashion designer David Tlale said the attacks were “chasing business away” from the area.

“People are now afraid to come here. They don’t feel safe,” he said.