Police in Overijse (Flemish Brabant) have voiced their reservations about images posted on social media by an angling store in the town. Pictures show two 'armed robbers' forcing their way into the shop, but the post is really a promotional stunt for Black Friday, when shops offer large reductions ahead of the holidays.
Last Thursday, an angling store in Overijse (Flemish Brabant) posted a picture of 2 masked men entering the shop with a gun on social media. In the caption, the owners called on the perpetrators to report within 24 hours, otherwise threatening to post the full images.
It was a post that immediately caused a lot of concern. Several customers contacted the shop to find out what had happened and Overijse police also received numerous worried calls.
Video sets alarm bells ringing
A day later, a video of the ‘robbery’ appeared on the shop's Facebook page. In it, the owner can be seen being dragged through the store by one of the would-be robbers. The owner is then threatened by the second ‘robber’ and forced to open the till. People who watch the video through to the end eventually see that everything is staged and that it is an advertising stunt for Black Friday.
‘We wanted to do something novel,’ says the store’s manager Melissa Deboeck. ‘In this way we hoped to put angling in the spotlight. But we may not have considered the consequences of the video fully and the fear we may have created.’
The police feel the post was inappropriate. ‘We are currently living in times, when people have become more fearful,’ says police chief Sebastien Verbeke. ‘We see that in the capital, and in Overijse we are not far from Brussels, that quite a few violent crimes are being committed. To distribute photos like that at such times, it seems like the violence in Brussels has now also arrived in Overijse. But that is not at all the case. We think this advertising stunt is OTT. ’
‘No crime was committed’
The store owners cannot be prosecuted for posting the video. ‘Legally, nothing illegal has been done,’ the police chief says. ‘As far as I am concerned, this is a misplaced promotional stunt. I think the owners realise that too now. And I hope next time they have more of a think beforehand and come up with a slightly less aggressive way of promoting their wares.’