JGRA cautions members after violent robbery

Following Wednesday’s brazen daylight robbery in which a pump attendant was shot on Deanery Road in St Andrew, the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association (JGRA) is urging gas station operators to tell customers to lower their vehicle windows before being served.

Speaking with THE WEEKEND STAR, JGRA President Philip Chong said the recent senseless act of violence has underscored the vulnerability of service station employees and prompted renewed calls for stricter safety measures.

“I am saying and asking all our members to do is that once a car rolls up to the pump, first the engine must be turned off. That is a standard safety feature. And ask the customer to wind the window down. It is impossible to hear them, to hear their request with the wind the window up. Much less the security not knowing who is in the car,” he said.

Chong said the recommendation, which has the full support of the JGRA, is aimed at better protecting workers by ensuring attendants can clearly identify customers before carrying out transactions.

“A car comes in like that and they barely crack the window. I am taking two steps now until they wind down the window so that we can have a decent conversation and I can comply with our customer’s request at that stage. Failing that, the car can go,” he said.

While stressing that the measure is only a recommendation to operators, Chong said he hopes members will give it serious consideration in light of Wednesday’s incident.

“In this case that happened yesterday, this was one of them. The back window was cracked. Instruction was given to slip the money out. She took the money in good faith, but she had no idea who was in the car, how many people were in the car. Had she seen it, then she would have backed away,” he reasoned.

The pump attendant, whose shooting was captured on CCTV, remains in critical condition in hospital.

Hours after the attack, police fatally shot two men believed to have been involved after they reportedly confronted officers during an operation in Spanish Town, St Catherine. One of the deceased has been identified as 22-year-old Xavier Flowers, while the other has only been identified by the alias ‘Gunners’.

As the JGRA expressed sympathy to the injured attendant’s family, Chong said robberies at gas stations have occurred before but rarely with this level of violence.

“We’ve had robberies here and there, but nothing as violent as what we witnessed yesterday,” he said. Chong also urged service stations to ensure a security guard is on duty at all times, but particularly on a late shift, describing their presence as a strong deterrent to criminals.

Still, Chong said the association’s policy is for security personnel, attendants and operators not to confront armed criminals.

“Just comply. The objective is to get the criminal out as soon as possible. Just comply. The cash management system should take care of minimum losses and the CCTV should capture the data,” he said.

He also noted that many service stations have already reduced exposure to robberies by shifting away from cash transactions, with the majority of purchases now made using debit and credit cards.

The association is also encouraging its members to upgrade their CCTV systems to strengthen surveillance and assist police investigations through its existing partnership with the JamaicaEye Programme.