Lens & Shutter robbed

Photo: Google Street View

After losing tens of thousands of dollars of equipment in an overnight break-in, Kelowna's Lens & Shutter is warning other retailers to stay vigilant.

Store Manager Jaime Paniagua says he got a call shortly after 4 a.m. that the alarm at the store was ringing.

“I made my way there and the RCMP were here already,” says Paniagua, who notes the culprits were already gone. “They broke the lock and then made their way through the store. They took some GoPros, and then they went into two of our cabinets, and behind the counter, removed the glass...and took professional high-end cameras and lenses.”

The stolen goods taken were primarily out of box, new cameras and lenses by Nikon, as well as boxed GoPro cameras. Besides the loss of product, the store also suffered damage to the door and glass shelves within.

RCMP Cst. Kris Clark confirms officers attended the break-in at 2061 Harvey Avenue at 4:17 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The store wanted to share their story so that other retailers in town could protect their inventory during this critical Christmas retail time.

“Just to be vigilant, make sure to check your doors, check your alarm systems, make sure everything is in place because it is that time of year.”

Paniagua says the store will now be looking into increasing their security system and adding more advanced cameras, lighting and technology to keep the store safe.

After an RCMP investigation and clean-up, the store was able to reopen Wednesday at noon.