'Put the money in the bag' - Northamptonshire postmistress robbed at knifepoint
A brave postmistress robbed at knifepoint by a masked man demanding money says police said they were ‘too busy’ to attend the incident even though villagers knew the man was hiding in nearby gardens.
During her evening shift, Bal Suman had been in the High Street Post Office on Tuesday (February 24), when a masked man dressed in a black hooded tracksuit top and bottoms entered the shop.
Checking there no-one else present, he then shoved a bag across the counter and demanded money. When Mrs Suman refused, the man barged to the till whilst wielding a knife he had hidden up his sleeve.
She said: “It was scary. He had a big knife up his sleeve. Everything he was wearing was black. He said ‘put the money in the bag’. I said ‘no, I’m not going to do that’.”
"He pointed a big knife on my stomach. He took the till.”
After the robbery, Mrs Suman pushed her alarm button and ran out into the street to shout for help.
She said: “I went outside and shouted ‘Thief! Thief!’.
"He jumped into everybody’s gardens. He changed his clothes and told a neighbour when he hid in their garden, ‘somebody’s trying to kill me’. Customers saw him in Mill Road.”
When officers did arrive they told the postmistress they were unable to go into people’s gardens to find the suspect.
It is the fifth time since 2018, Mrs Suman has been robbed and the second time she has been threated with a knife.
Mrs Suman said: “I am really disappointed with the police. They said to me Kettering police were to busy to come.
"Why is that? A shop keeper was threatened with a knife. It should have been priority it took the police half an hour to get to the shop.
"The thief would have been home and counting the money. I chased him but he had a knife. The police should have responded much quicker then they would have caught him.”
A spokeswoman for Northants Police said: “Police officers are appealing for witnesses following a robbery at a post office in Woodford.
“The incident happened in High Street on Tuesday, February 24, at about 6pm, when a man entered the store, threatened staff with a knife, and stole money from the till.
“Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
“Information can also be submitted online at www.northants.police.uk/RO.
“Please quote incident number 26000110523 when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible.”