Police in attendance after the aggravated robbery at the Lynmore Junction BP service station on Te Ngae Rd. Photo / File
Police in attendance after the aggravated robbery at the Lynmore Junction BP service station on Te Ngae Rd. Photo / File
Rotorua's three BP Connect stores are being fitted with security grilles this month after staff were allegedly held up at gunpoint at the Te Ngae Rd branch in December.
A security grille. Photo / File
BP spokeswoman Leigh Taylor told the Rotorua Daily Post the installations were part of a wider security initiative, started two yearsago when the company noticed more frequent and increasingly aggressive robberies.
"We regularly review and update our security measures, and following the incident last year, in addition to moving the BP Connect sites in Rotorua to night pay on a long-term basis, we also decided to bring forward the installation of security grilles."
New security grilles at Te Ngae Rd BP Connect, Rotorua. Photo / Supplied
Two men allegedly carried out the robbery in the early hours of December 10.
One was armed with a long-barrelled firearm.
Police at the scene after the aggravated robbery at the Lynmore Junction BP service station on Te Ngae Rd. Photo / File
At the time, Detective Leonie Smith of the Rotorua Criminal Investigation Bureau said the gun had a muzzle device which appeared to be similar to a silencer.
The pair is accused of taking cigarettes and cash before leaving in a waiting vehicle.
They headed towards Lynmore School in Isles Rd in a sedan-type car.
Police have used CCTV footage to help their investigation.
They executed a number of search warrants on January 9, and a 33-year-old man was arrested and charged.
Before the December incident, the Te Ngae Rd branch was open to customers 24/7 and the night pay window was not used, but since the robbery, the night pay method has been enforced between 10pm and 6am daily, and the doors have remained shut.
BP spokeswoman Leigh Taylor said security incidents often had a big impact on customers and staff.
"We do everything we can to prioritise their safety."
New security grille at Te Ngae Rd BP Connect, Rotorua. Photo / Supplied
She said BP's wider security measures included "fog cannons, anti-bandit glass, licence plate recognition software, CCTV, ongoing staff training, and secure rooms to keep our employees safe".
"We also work closely with the police on an ongoing basis."
In December, Taylor said, "as you would expect following an aggravated robbery, the team at BP Connect Lynmore Junction are understandably quite shaken".
She said the two staff on at the time were not harmed during the incident but "we continue to actively support them".
