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COLUMBIA (WACH) - Robbery rates are at a high point this year in the Midlands. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says criminals may be getting an early start on holiday crime.

There have been 91 commercial robberies so far this year in Richland County, and Sheriff Lott says the robberies have become more common since August.

According to Lott, the robbers are targetting virtually every type of business.

The Sheriff's Department is offering free armed robbery safety training to business owners to try to slow the problem.

"Please contact us," said Lott. "[Deputies will] come out to your business - will give you that free survey, will make suggestions, will talk to the employees, will do whatever we can to make sure that your store, your business, your location is going to be safe from robberies."

Lott says CrimeStoppers, which often gives cash rewards for information, has helped immensely in catching criminals. He says anyone with any information on a robbery or other crime should call CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.