Robbery fears force shopkeeper to close

THE owner of a Town convenience shop has closed because she fears for her safety. Karen Greening has shut The Grange Stores and is looking for a buyer in the wake of three armed robberies in 20 days.

'I am not prepared to put my life on the line for the sake of a shop,' she said.

'It takes only a split second for someone to stab or rob you.'

Mrs Greening, who has a young family, worked successfully in the finance industry for 18 years before fulfilling her lifetime's dream to own a corner shop.

She took the premises over four months ago and said yesterday that she really enjoyed the lifestyle and making friends with her regular customers.

However, the incidents at Contree Mansell, Union Street and Candie Cache stores have led her to fear for her safety.

'What did it for me was the Union Street Stores robbery,' she said, and expressed regret that her customers had been inconvenienced.

'I'm sorry that I couldn't let them all know why I was closing,' she said.

Home minister Mike Torode declined to comment yesterday on the closure of the shop or the performance of the police in the continuing investigations.

Grange Stores regulars yesterday said that they were not surprised at Mrs Greening's decision, given the current climate.

'It's a real shame,' said 39-year-old telecoms worker Steve Le Tissier. 'I tried to get in on Monday but had to go elsewhere. I'm not surprised and, as a local person, I'm really upset that there have been three robberies. It is not something you expect to see in Guernsey ' hopefully it will not happen again.'

Danny Lynch, 33, and fiancee Siobhan Thorn, 25, live in Sausmarez Street.

'I do not blame her,' said Miss Thorn. 'There is no point putting yourself at risk. It just does not seem like Guernsey and it is scary, really.'

St Peter Port South deputy Barry Brehaut said: 'It's important to keep everything in perspective. There have been three attacks in a short period of time but it has to be questioned whether it is a change in Guernsey or just rank opportunism.

'It does not seem like a sophisticated effort and, fortunately, such robberies are a rare occurrence. I am appalled and horrified at the robberies but closing and selling up may be seen as giving in to the robbers and giving them unwarranted status.'

Deputy Mike Burbridge, who represents the same area and also used the shop, said it was a sad sequence of events. It was a shame that the owner was giving in to the assailants and that the robberies represented the decline of society.

St Peter Port North deputy Diane Lewis also used the shop and believed that improved policing was the key.

'It is important to get the police number up but to do that, we must pay them what they are worth,' she said.

Detective Sergeant Andy Jones, one of the investigating officers, declined to comment on the closure of the shop. He said inquiries were continuing into the robberies.

Two local people ' a man and a woman ' were arrested on suspicion of having been involved just hours after the third robbery but were later released without charge pending further inquiries.

DS Jones said officers were now following up leads and lines of inquiry from interviews, and that items had been sent away for forensic analysis.

He said that in response to the public and shopkeepers' concerns, there had been a decision to increase high-visibility policing, particularly in stores.

Police still want to speak to another man in his early 20s, about 6ft tall and of medium build, who was seen walking down Candie Road towards Town at the time of the latest robbery.

* Police are today continuing to investigate an incident in which two masked men tried to rob a taxi driver at the Grand Bouet early on Monday morning. They said there was no evidence of a weapon having been used.