Armed robbers held a gun at the head of a security guard, ordering the guard to ring a bell to get inside the Hitching Post, The Royal Gazette understands.On Wednesday five men, some armed and wearing black, full face helmets with dark coloured visors, took about $25,000 in cash and cheques from the building, in Sandys, which is used for storage by Arnold’s Markets.Arnold’s employs Shield Security Limited as a security firm and yesterday, speaking to The Royal Gazette on the condition of anonymity, some staff confirmed there were three guards assigned to the Hitching Post two were inside the building when the culprits surfaced from behind a container stored at the back of the building and one was inside a security van.The guard in the van was held at gunpoint, with the gun pressed up against his head and told to ring the bell to get into the building.Once inside, he said the robbers told everyone inside to get on the ground, while they proceeded to take the money before leaving.One security guard said it was the second time the guard who was held at gunpoint had been at the scene of a robbery also involving guns.That officer expressed concern that to date no counselling has been offered to help him get over such a traumatic event and that the officer in question was still traumatised by the previous robbery. “This latest incident only makes matters worse,” he said.Another security guard confirmed that there was mounting concern for their safety on the job, and that he carries a baton even though his superiors have not officially authorised him to do so.That same guard admitted, however, that a baton serves little, if any purpose when staring down the barrel of a gun.“This is the only country in the world that I know of where security guards are not allowed to carry any protective gear. There’s at least 18 of us employed on this job, all of us are middle-aged, and all of us are concerned for our safety while simply trying to make a living.”Asked if he supports a ban on crash helmets with dark visors, another security guard said: “Anything would help.”At a press conference held outside the scene of the crime yesterday, Acting Chief Inspector Mark Clarke said police are continuing to investigate the matter.“Investigations have revealed that four men targeted this businessman, as well as a cash delivery van,” Insp Clarke said. “They were ambushed by the suspects, some of whom were brandishing firearms.“They forced the guards to get the business operator to open the door where they were able to steal a quantity of cash.”He said the company was not yet able to tell police exactly how much was stolen, but a definitive amount should be available to police shortly.“No one was hurt in this robbery, but the victims were understandably shaken up.”Following the robbery, police believe the suspects travelled at high speed west on Middle Road towards Somerset Bridge on motorcycles.The robbery has again raised the issue of whether there should be a ban on crash helmets with dark, full face sun visors.Last night National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief told The Royal Gazette that he was in favour of a ban but said: “Whilst I personally favour the ban, a majority of my peers do not.”He said the banning of opaque visors has been raised at least twice since he has been the Minister of National Security, but it was the Minister of Transport, Derrick Burgess, who has the authority to amend the Road Traffic Act to legislate a ban on opaque or darkened visors.Mr Burgess said he had not opposed the ban and said that although he had just been appointed as Transport Minister he would speak to the Minister of National Security in the New Year. “I’m sure we will see eye to eye on this issue,” he said. “The most important issue at hand is public safety.”Meantime, Operations Manager for Shield Security Limited, Anthony Mouchette, would neither confirm or deny the amount of money stolen, but he did tell The Royal Gazette that it was the property of Arnold’s and was in their possession when it was stolen.He also stated that while “I’m not big on publicity, I will say that there have been lessons learned and that there will be changes with immediate effect”. He was responding to concerns raised by the fact that the security firm is known to stick to a routine that sees pickups and deliveries of cash made on the same days at approximately the same time.When asked whether he believes it’s time to ban crash helmets with tinted or dark visors, Mr Mouchette said: “I am in agreement but I also feel qualified security guards/officers should be permitted to carry some sort of protective equipment, be it spray or a baton.”Yesterday, The Royal Gazette contacted some senior police officers about a ban on dark visors.One senior officer said: “This is a legislative matter that was discussed by the ruling Progressive Labour Party some time ago and it was flatly rejected.”He added: “We are very much an intelligence driven force,” he said. “I keep saying it and I can’t say it enough, the more information we get from members of the public, the better able we are at dealing with serious crime.”Another senior officer disagreed with a ban on helmets, saying: “If I want to conceal my identity under a crash helmet, a simple pair of sunglasses and a handkerchief tied around my face would do. Banning helmets with dark visors would do nothing to solve this country’s societal ills. The problems we’re seeing today run much deeper than that.”Area MP Terry Lister described the incident as “very disturbing,” but said that he remains confident that police will apprehend the suspects and bring them to justice.“I would like to remind any young people who are thinking this is now what they are going to be doing to make a living that this is not the way,” he said. “This will result in them being caught, this will result in them being locked up for a long period of time, and it will result in them losing the opportunities that they can have legitimately.”Mr Lister also suggested that the implementation of CCTV cameras in the area could help police, saying that there is one location near the Hitching Post where such cameras would be an obvious asset if gunmen are reportedly travelling into and out of Somerset.However he refuted that recent armed robberies are linked to the economic crisis, saying: “I don’t believe the people committing this type of crime are carpenters or masons that have lost their job. I believe that its people who believe that crime pays, and maybe it does in the short term, but it’s not going to pay in the long term.”Anyone with information on the robbery at 8.10am on Wednesday is urged to contact the Somerset Criminal Investigation Unit at 234-10, the Serious Crime Unit on 295-0011 or the confidential Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-8477.