Weekend ram-raid on sports store
The team at Stirling Sports in Levin was left counting the cost of a weekend ram-raid at their Oxford Street clothing store. A stolen car reversed through the shop front window at 1.56am, nudging the window first before hitting the building at full steam on the second attempt.
The impact left glass and debris scattered throughout the shop.
Security footage showed three occupants ravaging the store of its merchandise, from hoodies, sweatshirts, tee-shirts, and shorts, with no particular item or brand finding favour.
Levin Police arrived on the scene minutes later, but by that time the burglars had gone. Police were given security footage from cameras inside and outside the store. So far, no arrests had been made.
Shop owner Blue Taylor said they were insured against burglary. It was too early to put an exact figure on the worth of the goods taken, but it could easily have a retail value upwards of $10,000.
Taylor said they were left with a massive cleanup as glass fragments were sent flying 20m into the shop. Many garments left behind by the burglars that were close to impact were now unsellable.
Such a theft was the last thing any store owner needed during a Covid19 pandemic, which had seen turnover drop while people changed their shopping habits.
“Things have been quite tough. It was only just starting to pick up again in the last couple of weeks with more people out and about,” she said.
Taylor said if ram raids were to become commonplace the only solution would be to have bollards on the pavement. She was fortunate her husband was a handyman who was able to erect a temporary wooden facade to keep the shop secure.