A retailer who was brutally attacked has slammed the courts for lenient sentencing and called for more police presence.
Mohammed Sarwar, of S & A News in Oldham, Lancashire, was set upon by two youths as he was taking cash from the store to the bank in February of last year. The raiders fled empty-handed, but Mohammed was left with several stab wounds that still hamper his mobility and have left him afraid to work alone.
One of the attackers was sentenced to six years in a young offenders' institution, which both Mohammed and his son Athkar believe is not nearly enough.
"I don't think the authorities are putting their foot down enough," said Athkar. "Six years is nothing for what he did to my father, and he's unlikely to serve the entire sentence."
Athkar added that thieves were increasingly targeting small shops due to their lack of protection and the lenient sentences.
"Newsagents are easy targets as thieves know that we don't have the security that bigger shops have," he said. "They know that because people can pay bills in our store there'll be more money on the premises. The penalty for this kind of attack should be much harsher to act as a deterrent."
Athkar said he had some sympathy for local police officers. "They have such a heavy workload and the amount of paperwork they have to do is ridiculous," he added. "They've always come when we've called, but I can imagine they feel that it's not worth the amount of paperwork it brings sometimes. An incident of shoplifting could take them off the streets where they're needed for several hours."
Convenience Store's petition for higher prioritisation and stronger penalties for violent attacks of shop workers is now suspended until after the election.
Mohammed Sarwar, of S & A News in Oldham, Lancashire, was set upon by two youths as he was taking cash from the store to the bank in February of last year. The raiders fled empty-handed, but Mohammed was left with several stab wounds that still hamper his mobility and have left him afraid to work alone.
One of the attackers was sentenced to six years in a young offenders' institution, which both Mohammed and his son Athkar believe is not nearly enough.
"I don't think the authorities are putting their foot down enough," said Athkar. "Six years is nothing for what he did to my father, and he's unlikely to serve the entire sentence."
Athkar added that thieves were increasingly targeting small shops due to their lack of protection and the lenient sentences.
"Newsagents are easy targets as thieves know that we don't have the security that bigger shops have," he said. "They know that because people can pay bills in our store there'll be more money on the premises. The penalty for this kind of attack should be much harsher to act as a deterrent."
Athkar said he had some sympathy for local police officers. "They have such a heavy workload and the amount of paperwork they have to do is ridiculous," he added. "They've always come when we've called, but I can imagine they feel that it's not worth the amount of paperwork it brings sometimes. An incident of shoplifting could take them off the streets where they're needed for several hours."
Convenience Store's petition for higher prioritisation and stronger penalties for violent attacks of shop workers is now suspended until after the election.
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