Only 17 Bay of Plenty stores have fog cannons installed - Rotorua police want to see more

One Rotorua dairy owner says he was saved by a fog cannon which he deployed when armed would-be robbers stormed his store but only 17 businesses in the Bay of Plenty have one.

In February Police Minister Stuart Nash announced the Government would pick up the bulk of a $4000 price tag for a fog cannon in a bid to help reduce the number of robberies happening throughout the country.

The previous Government set aside $1.8 million for the installation of devices such as audible alarms, fog cannons and DNA spray on a 50-50 cost share basis between the state and business.

It was just before closing last Sunday night when two people entered the Pleasant Heights Supermart, one of them armed with a hammer and the other a knife.

The emergency button was pressed and within seconds a thick fog filled the store, causing the attackers to flee.

Rotorua Police area prevention manager Inspector Brendon Keenan said the fog cannon had been "really, really effective".

"This is the first incident we've had in Rotorua where a fog cannon was used and it was definitely a success story."

He said at this stage stores needed to meet a series of criteria to be considered high risk but he hoped to see fog cannons installed in more places.

"The more stores we can find them in, the better.

"We saw, recently, another one was used in Hamilton and that was another success."

People who are burgling a store have a heightened sense of agitation, Keenan said.

"You don't know what they're capable of.

"Something like this panics and disorients them and in most cases, they run and try to get away."

Another Rotorua dairy owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had "quite a few incidents last year" and were included on the Governments' list to have a fog cannon installed.

"It was heavily subsidised by the Government," she said.

She said at times the owners had considered closing the store because of a daily fear about coming to work.

"Going through all of the attacks we have, you do pause to think 'is it really worth it?'.

"After we saw that one deploy the other day we certainly feel much safer because that could have had a different outcome."

The fog cannons are currently being targetted at dairies, liquor stores and service stations.

What is a fog cannon?
• A security device that fills rooms with dense fog in a matter of seconds. It is activated by an emergency button.
• It is made of a combination of glycol and water forced through a heated element. It is used in smoke machines and smells of peppermint.
•The fog is harmless to humans, animals, fixtures and IT gear.
• It clears in about 20 minutes in a well-ventilated room.
• A fog cannon can be used for six activations on a single tank.