Durban restaurant owners are beefing up their security after patrons at an upmarket restaurant were robbed.
|||Durban - Durban restaurant owners are beefing up their security after patrons at an upmarket restaurant were robbed at gunpoint last week. But customers are also showing their mettle by continuing to eat out.
In an effort to make their customers feel safer, restaurants are installing CCTV cameras, putting up electric gates, and hiring additional security guards
Restaurant owners and managers said this week while there had been an increase in police visibility, dangerous and heavily armed criminals were still on the prowl.
While patrons had been alarmed by last weekend’s robbery at Mount Edgecombe’s Marco Paulo restaurant, manager Adam Melville said there had been no huge decrease in customers.
“We’ve received a lot of support from our customers,” he said. “People were obviously shaken up but things are getting back to normal.”
There was mayhem at the restaurant last Saturday night when a quiet evening of dining turned into a night of terror after a AK-47-wielding gang stormed the eatery and robbed patrons and staff of their wallets, cellphones and jewellery.
No shots were fired during the three-minute robbery, but restaurant co-owner Paul Sheppard was pistol-whipped.
Sheppard, who took a few days off to recover at home after the incident, was back at work yesterday.
Co-owner Brenton “Billy” Franks yesterday said he had been on the phone with his customers, reassuring them that it was safe to come back and that the restaurant would increase security. The restaurant has already started doing so.
An additional security guard was stationed outside the restaurant yesterday while electricians were putting up additional exterior lights.
“This place was fenced and had a CCTV camera before the incident but these guys still attacked us. Now we’ve put up all the security measures we can think of to try to make our loyal customers feel much safer,” said Franks.
Enforce Security director Anthony Feuilherade, who was eating in the restaurant at the time, said he had gone back to dine there this week.
His security company was making progress on the investigation and following up on a “few good” leads.
Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said a task team had been established to investigate the robbery. He said arrests were imminent, adding that the police had a clear description of the men they were looking for.
Feuilherade said the 10-man gang – aged between 20 and 40 years – were all wearing golf caps. None wore balaclavas.
He said two of the suspects were sought by Enforce Security investigators in connection with other robberies, including another restaurant robbery at Mama Luciana’s in Glenashley late last year.
Mama Luciana’s manager, Sherry Nordin, said the restaurant was cashing up when they were held up by a group of six men who were all wearing golf caps and brandishing firearms.
“They held up myself and my staff but fortunately one of my waiters was outside and was able to alert our security company. The robbers only made off with a few hundred rand,” she said.
The restaurant had hired an additional security guard and had asked for more police visibility. “There are more police patrolling the area but we also felt the need to increase our security,” she said.
Another restaurant in the area, Splashes, had been held up by a gang.
Blue Security managing director Darryn le Grange advised restaurant owners to create a “blue zone” in their area of business.
“This means that all businesses pool their resources to benefit from a dedicated armed response vehicle,” he said, adding that restaurants in Florida Road had benefited from creating this system.
“Since we implemented that six years ago restaurant owners in the Florida Road strip have noticed a significant drop in the number of petty crime incidents and patrons can dine out at night with their minds at ease due to the increased visible policing in the area,” he said.
Le Grange advised other restaurants to consider exploring similar solutions to work together with security companies and the police to fight crime.
He added that installing on site and street CCTV surveillance cameras that could be linked to a security company’s control room provided an additional crime deterrent and a tool for the police to investigate cases.
Expressing his concern about the incidents, Business Against Crime provincial manager Jody Nair said an armed robbery would undoubtedly affect the turnover of any business.
He said no amount of security measures could prevent brazen criminals from attacking a targeted business. “This particular restaurant had all the safety measures in place including CCTV camera but they were still hit,” he said referring to Marco Paulo.
Nair said restaurants, especially those situated in remote areas, were soft targets for criminals. “They know there will be patrons who will have valuables on them and they know that because the restaurant is in a remote area the response time will be a little longer,” he said.
Gerhard Patzer, the chairman of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa’s east coast region, said he did not expect a drop in the restaurant’s popularity following the incident.
He said patrons generally forget about such incidents quite quickly. “However it is important that the owners increase visible security,” he said.
Independent on Saturday