Police praise dairy owner's quick actions

Photo / File

Police have praised the quick actions of a Dunedin dairy owner, who helped thwart an alleged aggravated robbery yesterday.

Police swooped on St Kilda about 9.30am following a phone call from the Sai Food Market shopkeeper who said two people were acting suspiciously outside the shop.

As a result, two males - a 19-year-old and 22-year-old - were charged with the attempted aggravated robbery of the store.

Earlier, the shopkeeper had shut and locked the shop's main entrance after he noticed one of the men put a red cloth over his face and peer into the premises.

Detective Sergeant Brett Roberts said the shopkeeper was able to watch the pair via CCTV and, within minutes, a dog handler had arrested the men.

A knife and clothing were also recovered nearby.

"The shopkeeper did everything correctly.

"He was suspicious, he locked the door so no access could be made, and he rang 111 immediately and we were able to dispatch patrol cars almost immediately."

Det Sgt Roberts said the dairy, the target of robberies in August and November, also had good quality interior and exterior CCTV cameras.

Anyone who may have witnessed the men at the front of the shop at the time of the incident were asked to contact Dunedin police on 471-4800.