You'll not win, traders tell raiders
From the Bury Times, first published Saturday 25th Aug 2007.
SHOPKEEPERS have issued a defiant message to armed raiders responsible for a spate of violent robberies: "You will not drive us out of businesses."
Prestwich traders adopted a united front after a masked gang brandished machetes at the manager of the 24-hour Hilton Park petrol station in Bury New Road - the second raid on the garage in two months and the third in the area since May.
The other was a brutal attack on a newsagent just a few yards from the petrol station.
But business owners and staff are standing firm and refusing to shut up shop.
Police said they are treating the incidents very seriously and have appealed for information from the public.
Mike Harrington, of Percivals newsagents, based in the Longfield Centre, said: "It's a really sad thing to say but armed attacks on shops appear to becoming the norm. Having someone steal from you has always been an occupational hazard as a shopkeeper, but when machetes and hammers are getting involved, it reaches another level."
His comments follow an attempted robbery of the Hilton Lane Shell petrol station at about 8am on Friday. Three masked men armed with hammers and machetes stormed the garage forecourt as a security van arrived to collect cash. Police said the men ran towards a side door where the manager was about to give a cash box to Group 4 Security staff.
One of the men swung a machete at him but he managed to shut himself inside the building. The gang then tried to force their way in before giving up and running off to the black Honda Civic they arrived in. The R-type vehicle sped off on Bury New Road towards Bury.
The attack came just nine weeks after a previous robbery which followed a similar pattern.
At about 8.40am on June 15, a silver Rover 75 pulled up in Chandos Road, behind the petrol station. Two masked robbers carrying a machete and a metal bar got out, climbed a fence behind the garage and threatened a security guard with a machete as he made a cash delivery.
They demanded the cash box and then got into the silver car and drove off along Bury New Road towards Prestwich village.
On June 4, a gang made off with £3,500 from the Butt Hull Store yards from the petrol station after assaulting owner Imran Mohammed (24) with a baton.
One of the men pinned Mr Mohammed to the floor by his neck with a baton while another forced his way into the till and grabbed cigarettes while smashing up the shop.
Mr Mohammed, who spent time in hospital following the incident, said: "It is a shame this latest attack has taken place but it's not something you can afford to get too worried about. They are just savages but you can't let it affect your business."
The Shell garage manager, who asked not to be named, said: "For it to happen twice in such a short space of time is a shock and it does make you think. But you've got to be realistic and have faith in the security system.
"Our system is top notch. We have about 27 CCTV cameras covering every inch of the shop and the forecourt and we have a panic alarm going straight through to the police, who can be here within minutes. We will not be shutting up shop."
Detective Inspector Bill Beddows of Bury police said: "We are making steady inquiries into each of these offences. We are looking into the possibility that the garage incidents could be linked, but cannot confirm this at this stage.
"We'd like to reassure the community all possible leads are being followed up. However, we rely heavily on information passed to us from members of the public, whose accounts of what happened can be invaluable.
"Bury New Road is busy, especially at the time the most recent offence happened. We believe a black Honda Civic that had been parked next to the garage may have been used to escape."
Witnesses should call Bury CID on (0161) 8568248.
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