Dana Jewellers was robbed in broad daylight, despite being situated on a busy corner
Jeweller to close shop after spate of robberies
Posted September 14, 2010 | By Sonia Nair
A Sydney jeweller who has been robbed three times this year intends to close his store, and has accused the police of not doing enough to help him.
Jeweller reported last month that Shaalan Sari, who owns Dana Jewellers on Merrylands Road, was robbed of jewellery worth approximately $60,000 and sustained a fractured eye socket when he was brutally assaulted by two assailants.
The first robbery occurred in February, when Sari was held at gunpoint and attacked with a knife as robbers stole $2,500 of jewellery from his store. The second time was a shoplifting incident in July when a single chain was stolen by a young boy who was later apprehended.
The jewellery from the first and third robberies has not been recovered, despite the offenders being apprehended after the robbery a month ago.
Sari has run his store for eight years yet has only been targeted by thieves this year. The jeweller has criticised police for their slow response time – despite the fact that the police station is just across the road from the jeweller’s store.
However, Merrylands Police Station Superintendent John Duncan told Jeweller his records showed police responded to the 000 call within one minute.
Sari believes he was targeted by the thieves because of his age and the fact that, like many independent retailers, he runs his store by himself.
The jeweller has decided to exit the business because he sees it as “too dangerous” to continue operating.
The news dampens recent statistics from insurance firm Marsh which showed that jewellery robberies have plummeted so far this year.
Duncan advised jewellers to improve their close circuit TV, put barriers in place to block robbers from accessing the back-end of their store, lock away valuables and have more than one person in the store.
The superintendent admitted that it is difficult to recover stolen jewellery because of its status as a highly sought-after consumer good. He said police are trying to crack down on the reselling of jewellery by ensuring every business adheres to the Second-Hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act.
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