Burglars target Subway stores | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

 

Two smash-and-grab burglars appear to be targeting Subway stores in Christchurch and taking off with safes.

Four Subway outlets - in Northwood, Burnside, Upper Riccarton and Ferrymead - have been hit in less than four weeks, the latest of which was on Monday.

The offenders, thought to be two men, have smashed their way in at night, grabbed the safes and taken off.

The owner of Subway Northwood, Mikey Bucher, is hoping the culprits are caught before another Subway is hit.

But he is not getting his hopes up.

Mr Bucher got a call at 2am on March 19 after the alarms at his store were set off.

Two burglars had smashed a window and stolen the safe.

Security footage showed the pair were in and out of the store in 1min and 15 seconds.

"It's very frustrating. It's just disappointing it's so easy for them to do it and get away with it," Mr Bucher said.

"It's happened to four Subway stores so far. Obviously we need to up our security."

His brother's Subway store on Wairakei Rd, Burnside, had been broken into only two nights earlier, on March 17.

At first Mr Bucher thought they were being targeted by someone who knew them, but after another two stores have been hit since, he has laid that conspiracy theory to rest.

Subway Ferrymead was broken into on April 9, and Subway Bush Inn was targeted on Monday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Johnson said police were investigating whether the burglaries were related because of the similarities in the method used to break into the stores -they all happened at night, and safes were targeted.

"We're looking to see if there are any consistencies and following up on those," he said.

Mr Bucher said he believed the burglars "got lucky" at the first Subway they broke into, so decided they would continue targeting them.

Most Subway stores had a similar layout, he said.

Only his safe and cash register were touched.

"I would have been more upset if they had made a mess," Mr Bucher said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Johnson said the Subway stores had "fairly robust" security measures in place.

He would not be drawn on the sum of money taken from each of the stores.