T

he police have advised all convenience store owners in Medan and surrounding areas to use the services of security guards following the escalating incidence of minimarket robberies.

Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Nico Afinta Karo-Karo said robberies of convenience stores had become rampant in Medan, mainly targeting Indomaret and Alfamart stores.

In an effort to curb the number of robberies, Nico said the police had urged all convenience store owners to hire security guards.

'€œConvenience stores should hire security guards to minimize the chance of robbery,'€ Nico said on Monday.

He added that apart from hiring security guards, minimarts should also install close-circuit television cameras to facilitate police in tracing perpetrators.

Police have received reports on convenience store robberies in Medan almost every week. Last week two minimarts were robbed, one of them located not far from the Patumbak Police station.

The police also arrested four suspects on Saturday evening, two of whom were shot when resisting arrest.

'€œThree more suspects are on the run. They belong to a convenience store robbery syndicate operating in Medan,'€ added Nico.

Nico said the police would reinforce community patrols to give a sense of security to businesspeople.

'€œWe will beef up patrols along with the rising trend of convenience store robberies,'€ vowed Nico.

In response to the call, the Alfamart branch corporate communications manager in Medan, Anwar Harahap, said his company warmly welcomed the appeal by the police.

However, Anwar said, whether to hire security guards was a decision for the management to make.

'€œThe appeal is good, but everything depends on the management. We have no rights to decide unilaterally,'€ Anwar told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He said Alfamart had never hired security guards and that the stores were secured only by on-duty employees. According to him, other stores also only rely on staff for security.

'€œIt'€™s not only our stores that don'€™t have security guards; other minimarkets don'€™t either,'€ said Anwar.

He claimed that a number of Alfamart stores in Medan had been robbed, usually at night.

'€œThe robbers usually take money and goods from the store. They never hurt our employees,'€ said Anwar.

He said that Alfamart stores in Medan and the surrounding areas were often robbed, while those in areas such as Tebing Tinggi, Serdang Bedagai, Simalungun and Langkat regencies were relatively safe.