Robbing The Elderly !

There has been a very noticeable uptick in assaults on the elderly which involve robbery in recent months.   This manifests itself in elderly women having their bag snatched as they walk home from the supermarket and elderly men being accosted in the street and made to hand over their wallet.   The degree of violence varies, but some of these thugs take no account of the physical condition of their victims.

The problem is that many of our elderly are now standing out from the herd at a time when the attitude of the herd to money is fast changing.   The electronics industry and the banks are promoting all sorts of ways for paying for small purchases without the need to count out money.    We simply tap a credit card or our Smartphone on a terminal at the pay desk and those cups of coffee or sale items are paid electronically.

The elderly are usually the last to take up these new innovations.    They are fast becoming the main section of the public still drawing cash from ATM's and many still insist in paying their household bills in cash.   It is not unusual for some pensioners to draw their entire fortnightly pension in cash and use it to pay their way until the next installment is due.

Before the days of ATM's most pensioners banked with a savings account and on pension days there were vast queues at bank counters as they made withdrawals.  When pension cheques were replaced with automatic account transfers pensioners were forced to use access cards and now the main grocery stores serve as providing money top ups at the check outs.

Unfortunately, the low life's of this world are equally cunning.   Standing as an observer  near an ATM or watching the line processing through a supermarket checkout can deliver likely targets.  It is a very open process and the transfer of cash is obvious.   In so many cases the elderly person has completed their shopping and they start the journey to walk home alone.

Their main danger is from drug dependent thugs who are desperate for their next " hit " !   They do not expect to score a large amount of money, but they see the pensioner as low risk and liable to divulge enough to take care of their immediate need.   In many cases the violence used is way out of proportion to the money involved.   An old person shoved to the ground may suffer injuries that are life threatening.

Unfortunately, convincing many elderly to adopt new methods and take safety precautions is fraught with rejection.    Most are reluctant to abandon the " old ways " that have served them so well.   In some cases their carers may be more successful in convincing them to adopt a " shopping in company " approach to safety.

A small group of friends may be convinced to share their shopping experience and enjoy the trip home with a communal cab ride.   At least it removes the risk of being alone and vulnerable - on a public street.