Occupational hazards; Small store robberies spur safeguards.

• Position: LOCAL NEWS

Byline: Kim Ring

Sometimes, Mohamed Mohmud simply prays for safety when he works at his sister's convenience store on Chandler Street in Worcester.

He's friendly, treats customers at Save Mart with respect and has a charming smile, but when he hears about stores like the one where he works being robbed at gunpoint, he does get nervous.

"Sometimes we're open till 10 and when I leave, I am nervous," he said. "It's a tough area."

Mr. Mohmud said he "thanks God" he hasn't been robbed and hopes the store's security camera is a deterrent.

In the wake of an increase in armed robberies, including one Wednesday in Worcester in which a store clerk was shot in the face, some shop owners are paying more attention to safety measures for themselves and their staff. The clerk from Honey Farms on Vernon Street who was shot Wednesday was listed in fair condition on Thursday.

Sanjay Naik, who owns One Stop Mini Market at 1406 Main St., in Worcester, said he always has two clerks working in the evening. He said he believes tough economic times might be the reason robbers target stores.

"Nowadays, looking at the economy and the people, it's so bad," he said.

He worries about the number of people who sit in parked cars at night near a now-closed Friendly's restaurant behind his store. But he also believes the security cameras and a big screen television that clearly displays the face of each shopper who enters might make a would-be robber think again.

Even so, when asked how safe he feels, he said, "Only about 50-50."

The presence of security cameras can be both a deterrent for criminals and a helpful tool for solving a robbery should one happen, explained Worcester Police Capt. Paul Saucier of the Investigations Division.

Both he and Ware Police Detective Sgt. Kenneth Kovitch, who is also investigating an armed robbery that happened at Brookside Mart on West Street in Ware Wednesday night, said store owners can contact police to get advice on how best to install their security cameras.

"Video is a really big thing, but only if it's in places that are helpful," Detective Sgt. Kovitch said. "It doesn't cost much more to have one more camera and have it pointed directly at the entrance."

In Ware, police have investigated more armed robberies than usual in recent months and Detective Sgt. Kovitch said part of the problem might be the increased heroin use in town.

He said in addition to cameras, a height-marking strip near the door helps him to determine some...