The security system at Palmerston’s Z fuel station scared off two men who broke in yesterday morning.
Acting Senior Sergeant Trevor Thomson, of Dunedin, said two men pulled up to the State Highway 1 petrol station in a white Toyota Hilux about 2am.
The men "smashed their way" into the office and entered the shop. An alarm sounded and a smoke cannon filled the shop with smoke, forcing the men to flee.
Nothing was taken from the shop.
A Z Energy spokesman said Z fuel stations recently spent $8million installing high definition cameras and new number-plate recognition technology at petrol stations across New Zealand. Smoke cannons were in place at most Z stations.
He understood most burglaries of Z stations resulted in arrests.
"There’s a whole bunch of things that we have on site that make doing something like this incredibly stupid," the spokesman said.
"These guys took a hell of a risk and got nothing.
"Everyone knows we don’t have any cash on site, so it’s not very bright."
Dunedin police found the ute abandoned in Warrington a short time later.
No-one had been arrested and police inquiries were continuing, Acting Sen Sgt Thomson said.
