http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20071116040352502C380458
Here is the article:
With little thought for his own safety, an off-duty policeman single-handedly took on armed robbers who had held up a jewellery store in the Pavilion shopping centre in Durban on Thursday.
A shootout ensued and Berea policeman Inspector Andre Mostert was shot five times. But he fired back, and it is believed he wounded two of the robbers.
The robbery came just a day after the Pavilion announced that a new security initiative had seen a downturn in crime at the centre.
'It took two minutes but it felt like forever'
Arthur Kaplan Jewellers was robbed of Rolex watches worth R1,5-million and R46 000 in cash in a morning of drama that saw terrified shoppers running for cover.
The cash was later recovered by police after the men dropped it while fleeing.
A shocked Priscilla Bussack, Arthur Kaplan Jewellers' manager, told how two armed men had entered the shop, with one going to the back.
"He drew a firearm and demanded the money. Another man stood guard with an AK-47 outside the store," said Bussack, who was forced to open the watch display.
The men took 27 Rolex watches.
In August last year the store was robbed of almost the same amount. Bussack said she and her staff had been terrified.
"It took two minutes but it felt like forever. We thought they were going to shoot us. The man who was taking the Rolexes out was nervous and panicky. He kept shouting that I shouldn't look at him."
After the gunmen left, Bussack took off her shoes and ran after them, "shouting to alert security to the robbery".
Mostert chased the men towards Beverley Jewellers. There was a shootout and Mostert was shot twice in the stomach, twice in the chest and once in the arm.
A helicopter flew him to St Augustine's Hospital. Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said Mostert's prognosis was good. "He underwent lengthy surgery and is currently on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. A lot of work was done, and it looks as if he is going to pull through."
Berea police station commissioner Dir John Bohloko said Mostert, a long-serving detective, was devoted to his job.
Police Superintendent Danelia Veldhuizen said all the men had been carrying large-calibre weapons, and police believe one or two were shot as there was a trail of blood leading to the exit they used. A white VW Polo used by the robbers was found abandoned in Booth Road, Cato Manor. It had been hijacked on the Berea last Tuesday.
Pavilion manager Preston Gaddy said: "Security will be beefed up; unfortunately we have 17 entrances, which makes access control difficult."
The robbers had been recorded on CCTV, and this would hopefully assist police in making arrests.
Mariana Berndt, owner of The Little Italian restaurant near Arthur Kaplan Jewellers, said her staff were fearful.
She said. "I saw one of the men surveying the floor while two went into the jewellery store, and I knew a robbery was about to happen. I phoned security then heard multiple gunshots."
Jody Nair, of the South African National Council of Shopping Centres in KwaZulu-Natal, said there were gaping holes in security at many shopping centres in KZN. The main areas of concern were access control, training for security staff and cash management.
"All shopping centres should have boom gates at all their entrances and exits. The centre can monitor who is coming in, and boom gates deter prospective robbers as their escape can be delayed."
Nair added that security staff were not properly trained to spot suspicious people. "Staff who monitor closed-circuit television cameras, security guards and even car guards need to be trained to read body language in order to spot suspicious people."
I was a regular customer at that mall.
This sort of thing is happening more often in South Africa. You get gangs of armed men, sometimes with AK47s, and they just invade a mall or a place of business and clean the place out. Not sure what tactics can help here, because that mall is in quite a nice area. It's not like you can expect trouble like that only in certain areas.
When I was working in Johannesburg they even held up a private hospital and robbed the casualty staff and all the staff on the Intensive Care Unit, and the visiting relatives!
Here is the article:
With little thought for his own safety, an off-duty policeman single-handedly took on armed robbers who had held up a jewellery store in the Pavilion shopping centre in Durban on Thursday.
A shootout ensued and Berea policeman Inspector Andre Mostert was shot five times. But he fired back, and it is believed he wounded two of the robbers.
The robbery came just a day after the Pavilion announced that a new security initiative had seen a downturn in crime at the centre.
'It took two minutes but it felt like forever'
Arthur Kaplan Jewellers was robbed of Rolex watches worth R1,5-million and R46 000 in cash in a morning of drama that saw terrified shoppers running for cover.
The cash was later recovered by police after the men dropped it while fleeing.
A shocked Priscilla Bussack, Arthur Kaplan Jewellers' manager, told how two armed men had entered the shop, with one going to the back.
"He drew a firearm and demanded the money. Another man stood guard with an AK-47 outside the store," said Bussack, who was forced to open the watch display.
The men took 27 Rolex watches.
In August last year the store was robbed of almost the same amount. Bussack said she and her staff had been terrified.
"It took two minutes but it felt like forever. We thought they were going to shoot us. The man who was taking the Rolexes out was nervous and panicky. He kept shouting that I shouldn't look at him."
After the gunmen left, Bussack took off her shoes and ran after them, "shouting to alert security to the robbery".
Mostert chased the men towards Beverley Jewellers. There was a shootout and Mostert was shot twice in the stomach, twice in the chest and once in the arm.
A helicopter flew him to St Augustine's Hospital. Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said Mostert's prognosis was good. "He underwent lengthy surgery and is currently on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. A lot of work was done, and it looks as if he is going to pull through."
Berea police station commissioner Dir John Bohloko said Mostert, a long-serving detective, was devoted to his job.
Police Superintendent Danelia Veldhuizen said all the men had been carrying large-calibre weapons, and police believe one or two were shot as there was a trail of blood leading to the exit they used. A white VW Polo used by the robbers was found abandoned in Booth Road, Cato Manor. It had been hijacked on the Berea last Tuesday.
Pavilion manager Preston Gaddy said: "Security will be beefed up; unfortunately we have 17 entrances, which makes access control difficult."
The robbers had been recorded on CCTV, and this would hopefully assist police in making arrests.
Mariana Berndt, owner of The Little Italian restaurant near Arthur Kaplan Jewellers, said her staff were fearful.
She said. "I saw one of the men surveying the floor while two went into the jewellery store, and I knew a robbery was about to happen. I phoned security then heard multiple gunshots."
Jody Nair, of the South African National Council of Shopping Centres in KwaZulu-Natal, said there were gaping holes in security at many shopping centres in KZN. The main areas of concern were access control, training for security staff and cash management.
"All shopping centres should have boom gates at all their entrances and exits. The centre can monitor who is coming in, and boom gates deter prospective robbers as their escape can be delayed."
Nair added that security staff were not properly trained to spot suspicious people. "Staff who monitor closed-circuit television cameras, security guards and even car guards need to be trained to read body language in order to spot suspicious people."
I was a regular customer at that mall.
This sort of thing is happening more often in South Africa. You get gangs of armed men, sometimes with AK47s, and they just invade a mall or a place of business and clean the place out. Not sure what tactics can help here, because that mall is in quite a nice area. It's not like you can expect trouble like that only in certain areas.
When I was working in Johannesburg they even held up a private hospital and robbed the casualty staff and all the staff on the Intensive Care Unit, and the visiting relatives!
Only had about 1200 rounds through it with zero malfunctions.
