Attacked Bournemouth shopkeeper in 'two-month wait' for police
- Published
A shopkeeper who was repeatedly attacked after asking a customer for ID says he is still waiting for the police to come, two months later.
Kamil Sahin, who runs Wine Art Westbourne, in Bournemouth, called police four times when he was assaulted and his shop was trashed on 3 November.
Mr Sahin, who suffered cuts and bruises, says he no longer feels safe.
Dorset Police said it had to prioritise 999 calls and direct resources to the most urgent incidents.
Mr Sahin said a young woman who was trying to buy alcohol at his shop in Seamoor Road became abusive when he asked her to prove her age.
'Helpless and unprotected'
The woman returned a further three times, twice with a man who attacked Mr Sahin and caused damage estimated at £1,000 to his shop and stock.
Despite calling police four times, help never arrived.
Mr Sahin said: "For the first time in my life I felt helpless, unprotected and hopeless, to be honest.
"I don't feel safe. Basically, I think the police are not able to prevent any crime - crime just happens and the police just try to find the suspect."
A Dorset Police spokesman said: "As with all 999 calls received by the force, we have to prioritise the incidents we attend based on an assessment of immediate threat, risk, harm and vulnerability.
"This is to ensure that we direct our resources to the most urgent incidents to safeguard vulnerable victims."