WESTMORELAND — A recent robbery at Senator Brian Wallace’s family-owned travel service on Great George Street in this South Coast Town has left the young attorney shaken. And several other business operators in the town have also expressed concern at the frequency with which they were being attacked.

According to Wallace, two men entered Native Travel Service at about 9:30 am on February 12, pretending to be customers. He said one of the unmasked men pulled a gun, declared “this is a hold up”, forced employees to the ground and demanded money from them.

The men made their escape on foot after receiving $100,000.

Wallace said yesterday the employees at the travel service were still “shaken up” by the incident, but said new security measures would be implemented to prevent any recurrence of this kind.

According to him, this is the second time in two months his family has been attacked by robbers, as his mother was held up and fleeced of her handbag containing money she had just withdrawn from the bank.

These recent attacks have convinced Wallace of the need to install a closed circuit television system for his office, which is situated close to the recently robbed travel service.

And, arguing that more thieves would be nabbed if more police officers were on patrol in the uptown section of the town, he has suggested that the police increase their presence and visibility.

Meanwhile, other businessmen in the town have also expressed fear of being attacked by criminal elements.

“I am fearful, worried and frightened,” said one proprietor who has been operating in Savanna-la-Mar for over 29 years. According to him, the recent upsurge of robberies is unusual in the usually “safe town”.

And a businesswoman, who operates on Beckford Street, told the Observer that she does not feel secure operating in Savanna-la-Mar as she has also fallen prey to thieves.

She said gunmen broke into her store two years ago and took a variety of items totalling over $600,000.

But unlike other victims, she had praise for the police.

She charged that if it were not for the bicycle-mounted police officers, the attacks would have been even more frequent.