Security at Seibu

On June 6 while shopping at Seibu and Pasaraya, I was again alerted to the lack of security at these upmarket department stores. I parked my car in the parking lot next to Seibu and paid the Rp 1,000 parking fee. Upon returning to my car about 30 minutes later I noticed that somebody had attempted to break open the door on the driver's side.

Luckily he failed, but the lock was damaged. The only comment the security guard had to offer was that he could not watch all the cars all the time. I think that one or two dedicated security guards would surely be enough to keep things under control. But the guard I spoke to was probably more scared of the thugs hanging around the parking lot than afraid of losing his job. In my particular case, the car was parked 10 meters from and in visible distance of the entry booth and cashier.

This incident would hardly be worth mentioning, would it not be for the large number of similar incidents which have happened at Pasaraya and Seibu to friends and visitors from overseas. In one instance, a backpack was stolen from a German friend spending his holidays in Indonesia. This isn't a very nice memory for him to take home. In another case, a friend had her hand phone stolen out of her bag. It would seem appropriate for the management to take some action soon or else people will begin to shop at safer places.

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