Owner labels store theft as ‘brazen’

Cooloongup Supa IGA owner Leigh Garrett has labelled the theft of a coffee machine from an in-store display in the Ennis Avenue shop as ‘‘brazen’’.

The machine was stolen from the supermarket on Sunday, May 27 about 3.30pm by a female who picked it up and walked straight out of the store.

Mr Garrett said staff members were only alerted to the theft after someone noticed the box was missing, but they had managed to capture images of the woman on CCTV cameras.

‘‘We were horrified that someone may have stolen it and managed to walk out the shop with this big box undetected,’’ he said.

‘‘We went to our in-store CCTV and sure enough we see this most unlikely middle, aged well-dressed lady walks straight into the store, over to the display, lifts the coffee machine off the display and walks straight passed a security guard and out the store with our coffee machine securely tucked under her arm.

‘‘It was a busy Sunday with lots of people in the store but she obviously knew what she was coming in to get.’’

Mr Garrett said the store had no plans to update security measures as there already 32 surveillance cameras operating, a security guard monitoring the store and undercover security guards posing as customers.

The store was robbed again on Thursday when a man came into the store, filled up a bag with a carton of chocolates and walked out.

Both matters are being referred to police.