One of Enniskillen's most recognisable citizens, Eileen Drumm, who has a physical disability and uses a specially adapted scooter to get about, was robbed of her handbag by an opportunist thief in the doorway of her home in Floraville, Enniskillen last Friday evening as she was returning home.
In the bag were money and personal items, including a spare key to her flat in the building, her scooter licence and her Blue Badge which she had only just received. But, speaking tot he 'Herald' this week, Eileen was determined not to allow the traumatic events of last week put her off.
"I am not a victim and I'm not going to be a victim. I just took a few days to get myself together and I'll be back on the street once more. It was something I was thinking to myself, I wouldn't be surprised if I heard from you', but definitely, if I was contacted I was going to be positive".
Her ordeal occurred at the home in Floraville where she has lived without mishap for the past five years. She takes up the story herself: "It's a very, very quiet area. I was coming home on the scooter on Friday evening before 6 o'clock. A car pulled up at the same time but I didn't pay much attention to it.
"Someone shouted out of the car, I didn't know what it was. I drove in the scooter and, when I got as far as the stairs, I went to the door, it's a communal door, the person came out of the car and said something about a window being open at the back. "He asked me if I had a back door. I just moved away from the scooter for a matter of seconds, and my bag was lifted. It was in the carrier basket on the scooter".
Eileen, naturally, was shocked by her experience but, also, annoyed that she wasn't better prepared.
"I am always very careful but I hadn't noticed anything out of order from the start. But, it was raining and all that was on my mind was to get into the house as quickly as possible".
But, she reacted smartly. The thief had failed to spot the spare key to her flat that was on the scooter and, after letting herself in, she phoned the Police.
"They came out within minutes and asked around if anyone had seen anything, and the next-door neighbours took me in and helped me to settle down. They were incredible, and made me tea".
Eileen described the opportunist thief as plumpish and in his 40's, with nothing peculiar about his accent. She believes there was another person with him.
"The big fear was the other key to my flat that was missing, but I had the lock changed straightaway. I cannot speak too highly of the Housing Executive for that". The one downside, for her and other users of disability scooters, from her ordeal is the need for even greater vigilance whilst shopping, and, in her own case, she does wonder what her thief might have done had he not spotted her bag.
"I have decided it as just an opportunist episode in that I don't think anybody was watching our for me. At times, I think I could have been damaged and, to make matters worse, last Monday, Women Making Waves (to which she belongs) ran an information evening and I had asked the PSNI to come along and give a talk about personal and home safety".
In addition to Women Making Waves, Eileen, who is a native of Teemore but has lived in Enniskillen since she was a child, belongs to a number of other groups. They include original membership of PHAB (Physically Handicapped and Able-Bodied), the Volunteer Bureau and the Consumer Panel of the NI Housing Executive.
A Police spokesman confirmed that two men were involved in the robbery, one of whom distracted Ms Drumm whilst the other grabbed her handbag. He has appealed to anyone who saw two men in a car or outside a car in the area at around 5.50 on Friday evening last to contact them.
