Raiders left empty-handed after being thwarted by Co-op security device

Officers were called in the early hours on Saturday (30 March) to reports of a break in at the Co-operative on Westfield Lane.

The suspects forced entry into the premises and searched the store before fleeing from the scene.

The store, which re-opened later the same day, is fitted with fog canons, which deploy a dense fog to obscure vision, and helped deter the would-be thieves.

The Co-op say they have invested in SmartWater in ATM’s, fog cannons in kiosk areas – which link criminals and stolen goods back to the scene of a crime - and the latest remote monitoring intelligent CCTV and covert trackers.

A Spokesperson for Co-op said: “Safety and security is our number one priority. We know that violence and crime is about much more than statistics, it is about its impact on people’s lives and the communities in which they live and work.

“As a community-based organisation we see the impact of social issues in our stores, and we’re committed to playing our part and investing in the latest technology to do all we can to protect colleagues and make our communities safer.

“We appeal for anyone who may have seen or heard anything to come forward to police.”

Enquiries are ongoing. Anyone who witnessed anything or has any information is asked to contact the police via 101 quoting crime reference number 13190164202 or information can be passed to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Scholes store is the latest Co-op to be targeted by raiders, with the Queensbury, Wibsey and Denholme stores all recently subject to similar incidents.