Postmaster at Boxford Stores thanks community for support following overnight break-in
Suffolk Free Press
09 April 2020
The postmaster at a convenience store in Boxford has expressed his gratitude to the community for their support after the business was targeted in a burglary.
The landlord of Boxford Stores was alerted to the incident in Swan Street on Tuesday, at around 2.30am, when he heard the sound of glass being smashed.
Witnessing the incident from his window at home, he saw the perpetrator escaping with the cash till through broken glass in the shop's front door, before running along Church Street towards Stone Street.
Police officers attended the incident with a dog handler, who searched the area.
Confirming that the till had been empty when it was stolen, the store's postmaster, Richard Haining, said: "It looked like someone was desperate for cash – there's a lot of desperate people at the moment."
Praising the community for its generosity, Mr Haining said the team had been left overwhelmed after receiving offers of help.
"It's brilliant – there's been so much support," he said.
Determined to continue trading during the coronavirus outbreak, the stolen till was quickly replaced by Neil Cottrell, who runs the store.
Aware of the impact panic-buying has had at supermarkets across the country, the shop has been regularly restocking a range of essential goods.
"They don't need to go into town to buy food," said Mr Haining.
"There are a lot of people who are shopping for their elderly parents."
The store is operating a delivery service to provide vital supplies to vulnerable villagers.
Anyone with information that could assist detectives with their investigation should call the non-emergency number on 101, quoting crime reference number 37/20033/20.
