Ram raid

Cigarettes were taken in a ram raid of a rural Northland supermarket after a stolen van was used to smash through the front doors. It took just 40 seconds for the driver to reverse through the doors of the Waimamaku Four Square, break into the cigarette cabinet and flee just before 5.30am on Friday. Owner Bruce Lomas said security camera footage showed a person wearing a hooded sweatshirt going in and taking the cigarettes valued at a couple of thousand dollars. Luckily, he said, there were no pouches of tobacco on site and police had responded quickly. Despite the damage he opened the SH12 business, which doubles as the local post shop, the same day. It’s not the first time the shop has been ram raided. “Last time they completely smashed the doors and the window shattered. These doors will have to be repaired but it could have been a lot worse,” Lomas said. Senior Sergeant John Fagan said the 2011 Nissan NV200 light van, with the registration plate KPN414, was driven off towards Dargaville on SH12. The vehicle was reported stolen from the Dargaville Medical Centre earlier in the morning. Fagan said there were reports of the vehicle being spotted in the Aranga area south of the Waipoua Forest after the raid. Anyone with information about the raid can contact their nearest police station or anonymously on Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.