Robbery victim in ATC frustrated with Topshop security procedures; ATC already assisting victim

If you still haven’t heard, an Alabang Town Center shopper had her wallet stolen inside Topshop last Father’s Day (June 21, 2015).

In a Facebook post, the victim narrated that they were on their way to have dessert after having Father’s Day dinner when they decided to stop by Topshop.

While looking at dresses, the victim said she suddenly felt that her bag got lighter and upon inspection, her wallet had already been taken from her bag.

In the said post, the shopper also expressed her displeasure at how the Topshop staff handled the situation.

“The staff did not immediately sense the urgency of the situation; no one from Topshop even tried to contain the people inside the store, or ask people not to leave yet while the security officers have not arrived yet at the scene. Some “customers” even approached me and asked me to check their bags because “mahirap na”, not knowing that one of them was an accomplice,” said the victim in her Facebook post.

She added they had to wait for the Ayala Malls security OIC before their complaint could be entertained which was around 10 minutes.

What really irked the victim was the way the Topshop staff handled the situation.

“We were then accompanied to the Security Office to wait some more. We had to ask help from our contacts in PNP so we can be assisted properly. PNP Capt. Cariño tried to have access to the CCTV at Topshop. He too had a difficult time dealing with MYLENE NAPE who still refused to give access to the footage. According to PNP Capt. Cariño, he had to wait another 10 minutes while MYLENE NAPE contacted Topshop’s Chief Security Officer JUN ESPINO, and that he had to write a written request first (which MYLENE NAPE DID NOT EVEN READ) before he had access to the footage,” she explained.

Watch the video here: Alabang Town Center Topshop Robbery

Upon watching the video, they were able to see that two or three women were involved in the robbery.

She then called on the Alabang Town Center management to re-evaluate their security policies.

In a statement, Alabang Town Center said they had already spoken with the victim and that the shopper is now being assisted by the Topshop head office.

“While Topshop’s standard operating procedures take precedence in times of such incidents within the store premises, we will continue to mediate and do what we can for this concern to reach a resolution. Likewise, we are reviewing how ATC security and our Concierge assisted in mediating between the victim and the store,” as stated in the ATC statement, noting that security of their guests is of utmost importance as they also called on everyone to remain vigilant at all times and places.