In the early hours of last Friday morning (26 March), the Wine Cellar store in south Croydon was entered illegally - and violently - by a group of six men who stole stock, a locked safe and caused a total loss of over £25k, accrding to owner Ben Selvaratnam (below left).
And while this shocking story might be something retailers are all becoming too familiar with Ben – who is in fact the chairman of the Croydon Business Association (CBA) which works with government and industry to boost the area’s profile – says the response from the police has been, in his words, shocking.
Ben takes up the story: “It was about half three in the morning. Six guys came - four in the store, with one in the car and one walking up and down. They were in and out in about six minutes. In total, the stock loss, plus the damage is about £25k.
“They lifted the shutter up through brute force and kicked in the glass. They cleaned us out on cigarettes and tobacco, a little bit of vape stuff, and took a 200kg safe as well, so it’s unbelievable.”
But here is where the story gets even more depressing. “The most shocking thing is that the police have still yet to attend the site,” Ben says. “It’s no surprise to me that retailers are so despondent and dismissive of informing the police.
“This is why even shoplifting incidents aren’t highlighted, because people know that there’s no response. For whatever reason, it’s not taken seriously. I’m more shocked at the police response than I am about the theft.”
Ben and his team say they reported the store’s break-in within an hour, and even left it closed the next morning when they’d usually open at 6.30am, in case the police needed to see or gather evidence.
“They said to clean it up, and reopen for business and when they had availability they’d send an officer down.”
But that never happened [at time of writing], Ben says. “We called them back and they basically responded saying don’t worry about it. They said to clean it up, and reopen for business and when they had availability they’d send an officer down. But it’s been seven days now and we haven’t heard anything from them.”
The lateness of a respinse caused Ben to despair, he says. “With us, with such a voice when we’re representing so many members and businesses through the CBA, and working with the police and the council and everyone else, you know, if we can’t get a police to come and visit, to attend a crime scene, then what hope does a normal retailer have?
“I think it’s a good point to illustrate how the police prioritise retail crime and convenience stores. I think it’s damning behaviour, how the reaction has been…”
So far, no leads have been uncovered, and Ben is appealing on social media for any clues to discovering more about the crime. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the retailer or store.
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