I could see a ladder behind the wall, but they were very nimble. It looked like a scene out of Mirrors Edge.

Perhaps if they put the same energy into work and doing something positive in life they might end up somewhere better than the local prison.

As for the train tracks, who can rely on the timetable these days?

Does anyone else feel uneasy about having the Post Office within WHSmiths now?
Money attracts vermin - just look at the city - while WHSmiths with its sweets, comics, CDs, and games attracts children and mothers.

This is not a good combination, and it strikes me that if the top exit had been permanently sealed, there could have been an unstable hostage situation, if(when?) the police had arrived quickly. Maybe next time.

We have had banks/POs for many years but never before has anyone thought to combine major branches with say a sweet shop. Nor to stick the cashiers on the first floor. For good reason.

There are reasons modern bank and building society shop-fronts have big glass doors and windows - one is so people passing in the street can see what is going on inside. However all the windows are covered in our upstairs PO - it is isolated - and this will make it more attractive to gangs.

There is a perfectly good purpose built building for the use of the post office in Forest Hill. There needs to be regulations to ensure they use it.

Perryman
Regret you can forget a move back to the old PO building. Also if the PO did move I would not be surprised if W H Smith and Son closed as well. The addition of the PO has probably just made WHS a profitable proposition.

Did they catch the crims.?? See PO closed today still. Yes I saw and heard the Police Heli.........

Surely if the saw them crossing the line they could have got some shots in without endangering the public.

criminals they may be but shooting at them while they were running away could hardly be considered the use of reasonable force!! Do we even know if they were armed? Guess they may well have been if they were attempting to rob the PO.

True but as they got away assumed they were armed. Maybe I am wrong.

even if they were armed, shooting at them as they run away is not the use of reasonable force, unless they were shooting at the police or other people, and as I understand it, they weren't!

Maybe they could use stun bullets.
Of course this could be academic as they may have already finished their trespass of railway property before the aerial back up arrived.
I see your argument but by doing nothing they are encouraged to try again and may kill someone next time. Surely if one robs with a gun you should expect that the law may get you.

I'm glad I live in a country where the police don't feel free to shoot to kill at suspects on electrified railway lines, from helicopters, with trains liable to be passing at high speed.

Closed today as apparently they could not get the lock open. I hate to say it , but this would never have happened at the other place. Presumably the recently enhanced security measures have been too successful as not even the staff can get in any more.

I would not blame the staff for strike action in respect of their cramped and clearly unsatisfactory working conditions as I think its just not working out in there from anyones point of view. Every time I go in the staff are complaining or apologising to customers for various problems.

I also share the view about feeling very uneasy in there these days especially with my child in a pushchair. It is to do with the fact that there is no longer any natural daylight, the bookshelves are so high and packed so densely that there is no room to move around, nor can the post office bit be seen very easily from anywhere else in the building. There are also too many boxes and bits of packaging to trip over. I have also witnessed quite a few scenes from aggressive customers both in the PO area and the downstairs areas which I think would be less likely in a more calm and better lit environment. I do think the staff are very physically vulnerable due to the layout.

The whole building is an unsatisfactory compromise to the disadvantage to both businesses and to the community and I'm surprised either are still solvent.

Hello Roz
Usually I find I agree with you but must say when I have visited the new Post Office have found the staff much more friendly than the staff at the Old Post Office.

I tend to agree about the clutter. I think they should have taken all the upstairs.

I have mentioned before the old situation was , I think , not sustainable , either for PO or WHS.
If the change had not happened I think Smith's would now be closed , or closing. The Post Office move has meant we retain our W H Smith and Sons.

Still closed when I went by about 12.45 pm. No sign at all to advise why closed and when likely to be open.
Surely you cannot just close Her Majesties Post Office without an extremely good reason.
Also rather a strange sign in the window implying if you buy Richard or Judy you get the other half price. The mind boggles as to why anyone would want to make such a purchase.

Also rather strange no sign asking for witnesses to last Saturday's fiasco. I must assume as they are not asking for witnesses they have arrested re criminals who are now on their way to Van Diemen's Land.

Why does not WH Smith and Sons open on Sat's before 9am. There is plenty of trade for newspapers which currently goes to our friends from HCMC , a few shops up the road.
Surely could open just for papers 8am on Sat and say 9 to 11 am on Sundays. Could be staffed by 1 person I guess.
Even more in a recession you need to offer what the public require.

Many years ago they used to set up on the pavement,in the doorway of W.H.Smith on Sunday mornings and sell newspapers

I remember that, and the lady always had a huge bag of sweets and used to hand them out to the kids when their parents bought papers.

Yes I agree and she had a good trade.
I assume everyone srill has to have their Sunday Telegraph , Observer or Times ( or indeed some have more than one ).

Also why 9am on Sat's when loads of people use the station after 8am. They are missing out here I think.

Little Saigon, a few shops up Dartmouth Road from Smith's, are open for papers at 8.00 am on Sundays and earlier (7.00?) on Saturdays.

Yes Robin
I mentioned our good friends from HCMC. They are very nice but not outside the station and I am sure Smith's would pick up a lot of trade.
As much as I like our friends from HCMC they are often more interested in talking on a confounded mobile telephone apparatus than talking to customers.

Sorry, I didn't recognize the name 'HCMC'.

No probs Robin
I try to use the correct word for the city rather than the pre 1975 name but guess both well known.
Not sure whether it will ever revert to Saigon as dear old Ho been dead for many years.

Sorry who the hell are HCMC