Firms advised to get escorts

ALOTAU police have advised business houses to seek police escort when taking money to or from the bank.
It follows an attack on a female employee of a major shopping outlet who was attacked while on her way to the bank with the firm’s takings yesterday.
Provincial police commander Lincoln Gerari said from Alotau, Milne Bay, the robbers fled with an undisclosed amount of money in a hired vehicle which was later left abandoned on a road.
“The hired vehicle is from a local hire company and after abandoning the car, the robbers escaped on foot into the nearby bushes.”
He said the thugs held up the female employee from the Cheong Supermarket around 10am while she was going to the Bank South Pacific Alotau branch.
He said he was concerned about the way some business houses were operating in the province.
“When carrying large amounts of money, the business houses must inform the police at all times to provide security.
The business houses are not doing that,” he said.
Gerari said businesses must take precautions to avoid such incidents from happening.
“In this particular incident, I think it is an inside job because of the nature of the robbery,” he said.
“It was (in the) early hours of the morning. How would the suspects know that the company was going to do banking?
“Therefore, I would like to call on business houses to be very cautious and consult us for security in such circumstances.”
Gerari was confident the thugs would be arrested soon.