Shops get fog cannons to deter robbery
FIFTEEN shops in the South have been selected by police to receive heavily subsidised fog cannons to deter robbers.
A police spokeswoman said the premises in the Southern Police District, encompassing Otago and Southland, were selected as eligible for the cannons, a security device which fills a shop with a cloud of dense fog to deter robbers.
They usually cost about $4000, but are heavily subsidised under a government crime prevention scheme, meaning eligible shops pay just $250 to have the cannons installed.
Police refused to say how shops were chosen or their locations, citing ‘‘security reasons’’.
National prevention manager Superintendent Eric Tibbott, of Wellington, said police worked to identify small businesses judged as ‘‘particularly vulnerable to aggravated robbery and theft’’.
Conformation of the cannons came as a man was arrested yesterday after the attempted robbery in North Dunedin on Thursday of the Dundas Corner Dairy, near the University of Otago.
Detective Sergeant Regan Boucher, of Dunedin, said police arrested a 56yearold man after executing a search warrant in North Dunedin.
The man is to appear in the Dunedin District Court next Friday on a charge of assault with intent to rob.
Police recovered a knife thought to be connected to the robbery.
The coowner of the dairy, who was behind the counter when the attempted robbery took place, said she had been overwhelmed with kindness and support from her mainly student neighbours.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the woman said in the immediate aftermath of the incident that neighbours and passing students comforted her before police arrived.
‘‘Neighbours and some students came in . . . and one neighbour gave me a hug and I started to cry.’’
The woman said she was shaken and had trouble sleeping after the incident, as residents continued to rally around the dairy yesterday, offering several bouquets of flowers.
‘‘So many students came and asked me what happened and gave me comfort.
‘‘I cried every time . . . for their kindness.
‘‘They are so sweet.’’