Shop owner shaken by early-hours raid
A shop owner has been left shaken and sleepless after a lone male was seen on CCTV breaking into her Perth outdoor specialist store.
The crime happened in the early hours of Saturday, sparking outrage from customers who read of the raid on social media.
Men’s Rab jackets and a number of head torches were taken during the break-in at Craigdon Mountain Sports, the Perth branch of an independent ski and sports equipment shop at 32 Scott Street.
The shop’s owner Karla Mason discovered the front door glass panels had been kicked in when she went there to sort out a customer order on Saturday morning.
She alerted police and spread the word of the missing jackets on the business’s Facebook page.
Karla told the PA she had difficulty sleeping on Saturday night as the break-in sunk in after a day of co-operating with police and watching and rewatching the CCTV footage.
However, Karla was upbeat and in some part grateful for the awareness that the incident had brought her business, which she took over in 2014/15.
After posting on social media, the break-in picture was seen by around 100,000 people all over the world, helping to make the stolen goods ‘hot’.
She said: “The outdoor and ski community is a close-knit bunch and I was really heartened by the wide expressions of support for me.
“There were so many messages expressing anger and frustration at the crime. It was nice to see how people in Perth care.
“Since we reopened on June 29 after the first lockdown, I have really felt the loyalty and enthusiasm of my customers. When asked to shop local they did and they have really helped during the challenge of the last few months.
“I relocated the shop from Kinnoull Street in November 2019. I had begun to feel the benefits of lower overheads and the brighter environment of the new premises.
“I have had to work hard running the business on my own but in the run-up to Christmas, I felt things were getting a bit easier.
“Then we had to close, the last day of trading for nonessential shops was
Christmas Eve.”
Karla spoke about what she had noticed from the CCTV footage of the raid.
“I believe from what the camera recorded it happened at midnight.
“The guy who broke in on Saturday seems to have known what he wanted. He knew the darks spots in the shop and made straight for the men’s jackets.
“It seems likely he’d been in the shop before and knew the layout.
“A person who works in the shop lives in a flat opposite and he heard a bang but didn’t react as it’s a noisy place to live and it didn’t seem that unusual.
“The footage shows he spent about 10 minutes weakening the door after pushing in the lower glass panel.
“He appears to have been slim, wearing a black jacket, jeans, mask and black beanie hat. Only his white soled grey/ blue suede shoes are remotely distinctive.
“I have been busy securing the shop over the weekend and upping our measures to stop this happening again.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 11.05am on Saturday, January 23, officers were called to a report of a break-in and theft from a shop on Scott Street, Perth.
“Police enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information should contact 101 quoting reference number 1304 of January 23.”