The owner of a Kings Langley boutique where a robbery took place earlier this month has spoken of how “shocked” she felt about the incident.
Elaine Reed runs the Laines and Company clothes store on the High Street. On Saturday, June 15, she was alone inside the shop when a man came in.
Speaking to Kings News, Elaine said: “I didn’t bad an eyelid, but he started pointing at things, speaking in another language. He was very aggressive.
“He then started waving a plain piece of paper around, then asked me for a pen, then dragged me outside the shop shouting something about his wife, as if he was in trouble. He was trying to fluster me, which worked.
“He kept me distracted by looking down the road and talking on his phone, and we think that while that was going on, he got someone else to go in and steal whatever was on the counter. He then left.”
Elaine’s phone, several credit cards and an amount of cash that had recently been taken out of the tills were stolen. Though she called police afterwards, she said she was transferred and then put on hold. She said no officers attended the scene.
Since the theft, Laines and Company have upgraded their security, including new cameras and panic alarms, and a policy whereby staff are no longer left on their own.
Speaking about how she feels after the incident, Elaine said: “I feel shocked. I’ve been on the High Street for 16 years and never had anything like this before.
“I’ve never felt under threat in this village and now that’s changed slightly. Over the past six months, I’ve felt things are beginning to change. I wonder what is going on.
“I still regard the village as a safe place, but I’m certainly more vigilant now.”
Herts Police have been contacted for comment.
Photo credit: Laines and Company
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