£45,000 of electric bikes stolen in raid on Cannock dealer
Nine electric motorbikes worth around £45,000 have been stolen from a bike shop which specialises in electric bikes in Cannock.
The Surron Light Bee bikes were taken during a raid on PCR Performance, based on Prospect Business Park, just after midnight on June 27.
The raiders are believed to have broken into the off-road electric performance centre through a window which had been secured through a steel grate.
Vince Flaherty, general manager of PCR Performance in Cannock, said: "From CCTV footage we know there was two hooded, masked individuals, who walked to the back of the building – the car park side of the building.
"They spray-painted the CCTV cameras and they left it before 15 to 20 minutes – in which nothing happened – before there was any alarm activation just after midnight.
"There was a glass window at the rear which was protected by a steel grate bolted to the wall as a deterrent, or to slow intruders down, and we guessed they broke the window and chained the metal grate and pulled it out with one of their vehicles.
"Once they ripped it out, the alarm activation sounded and the internal cameras showed there was three people that came into the building - we think there were more outside. It took them no more than three minutes to get the bikes out of there."
Mr Flaherty said CCTV cameras had picked up a black Sokda Yeti and a white van – and the bikes were worth between £40,000 to £45,000 retail, with each bike being sold for around £4,500.
He added that police had started to investigate and were trawling through CCTV footage and that security at the shop had been beefed up, with the window now being sealed off and a switch to 24-hour third-party CCTV surveillance.
A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: "Police were called shortly after midnight to PCR Performance on Hollies Court, Cannock, reports of a burglary.
"Officers attended and two vehicles had reportedly ram-raided the store. It is understood that two offenders wearing black and balaclavas arrived at about 11.50pm that day.
"A total of nine electric-powered motorbikes and off-road bikes have been stolen – worth approximately £33,000 in total. Staffordshire Police’s Criminal Investigation Department have taken over the case.
"Officers are reviewing CCTV footage of the area at the time and urge anyone with information should message Staffordshire Police on Facebook or Twitter quoting incident number 006 of June 28, call 101 or alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
