Independent traders are remaining vigilant but calm after a Richmond jeweller was the victim of armed robbery just over a month ago.
Gregory & Co jewellers was the target in a broad-daylight robbery which saw their windows smashed and valuable items taken before the masked men fled in a getaway car on 31 January.
Other shop owners in the area have noticed an increased police presence in Richmond since the incident and are working together to try to prevent themselves being targetted.
Kedri Rul, owner of Eastern Adornment jewellery shop, said: “We were looking for good insurance because you can’t do anything against these kinds of problems.”
Rul added there was little small businesses could realistically do to prevent such incidents, but is in constant contact with other nearby shop owners.
He said: “Richmond is a beautiful place and people are beautiful here.
“All the shop owners, everyone is great here. We don’t deserve this kind of thing – it was heartbreaking.
Kate Hopwood, of Kate Hopwood Jeweller,y noted seeing more police officers around since the robbery:
She said: “They walked in yesterday and gave me a leaflet, and all of that sort of thing.
“So yes, they’ve upped the ante, which is how they do generally respond.
“Richmond’s a wealthy area, you get that little bit of extra attention.”
Hopwood added: “It’s not an issue that concerns me because I don’t have the gold content in the work that I sell, so I’m not a target for what happened.”
Richmond Council leader Gareth Roberts gave assurances incidents such as this are rare and Richmond is safe, despite cuts to policing in the borough, and traders should not feel threatened by recent events.
While the daylight nature of the robbery startled many, Toko Jewellery’s Paula Angeli explained they typically remove high-value items from displays overnight – making daytime theft potentially more opportunistic.
She said: “You can’t hire somebody to be a security guard because it’s a small, family business, and simply couldn’t afford to do that.
“I think it’s more of a concern to shops that have gold or more expensive things, something that is easier to, even like a scrap value, gold is really high at the moment.
“When you see it first, it is concerning, but you can’t live your life in fear.”
Angeli remains confident in the area as there is a close-knit community of independent shop owners who are always looking out for each other.
All images: Dicken Richards
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