Richmond RCMP is asking the public to report robberies as soon as possible, after an attempted bag-snatch near a busy strip mall.
According to a relative of the female victim, the thief rode past her on a bike on Monday at around 4 p.m. near the Garden City Shopping Centre on Blundell and Garden City roads.
Apparently, she resisted when the suspect tried to grab her bag, resulting in him speeding off on the bike.
Fortunately, the victim was not physically injured.
“A robbery, whether successful or not, should be reported immediately to police,” said Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Adriana O’Malley.
“Conducting a thorough investigation so police can work to identify the suspect is important because while the suspect was not successful in this instance, that person is still in the community and may attempt another purse snatching.”
According to police, ways to help protect yourself include:
Being aware of your surroundings;
Keeping items, such as a purse, tucked securely under your arm to make it a less tempting target.
If you are a target of a robbery, police advise letting it go and, where possible, running to a safe place such as a business.
If this is not possible, make noise and attempt to draw attention to yourself.
The RCMP adds that, whether the suspect is successful or not, you must call police as soon as it is safe to do so.
Any details you can provide such as what the suspect look like and their direction of travel or physical descriptors such as height or weight, clothing and visible markings like scars or tattoos, can help police in later identifying the suspect.
