Security nightmare - part 2. Wednesday January 18, 2011

There is a post script to yesterday’s blog.

Today I happened to be back in the neighbourhood, where the robbery took place. Marcelo decided that he was going to take me on a guided tour of the area where everything had occurred. Rather macabre I thought, but he obviously wanted to show me.

The street is very built up, houses, apartment blocks and a school. Next to the apartment building is something called a “buffet infantile”. This is something that I have never come across anywhere else in the world. It is a party room for children that you hire for your child’s birthday. They provide food - a buffet what else? - and a space in which to play. Magicians and entertainers can be brought in or maybe even provided. They are in short, a perfect answer to the inevitable dilemma of children’s parties. All the mess is contained, kids have a great time and all the mum has to do is pay – sounds perfect to me.

But imagine the scene yesterday. Helicopters, police and a “heavy” squad, chasing thieves in the vicinity of a school and party place. The school, thankfully is closed for the holidays – it being summer here. My guess is that there were teachers around because the buildings were open but thankfully no children. I have no idea whether the buffet was in use - I am guessing no because it was only 10.30 in the morning. From Marcelo’s account the thieves split up, some taking the route through the school and others through the buffet.

Two were captured almost immediately. The others escaped, although for how long who knows. The fact that the robbers, undoubtedly armed, raced into the school elevates the seriousness of the crime in my book. My guess is that with two captured, the police will very soon learn the identity of the others and hopefully take them off the streets.

The outcome could have been so much worse if the school and the buffet had been full of children. It really doesn’t bear thinking about.