Leeds Co-op held at knife point

At 8:30pm on the 11th November, police were called to the Co-op where staff had been threatened.

It was raided by the trio for cash and cigarettes. They eventually drove off in a silver Toyota Yaris driven by a getaway driver.

They also stole a large amount of cash from one of the tills which was emptied into a bag and carried out with them.

David Armer is the owner of the takeaway opposite the Co-op in Swarcliffe, and had this to say, “I feel as though there needs to be more restrictions put in by the police to keep people safe. I do also think its the responsibility of businesses to be taking extra precautions to keep our businesses safe, such as extra cameras and locks on doors. It is scary what happened but this one act doesn’t define this area, it is normally a safe place.”

Staff were left physically unharmed, however, they are left feeling shaken up and nervous to head back into work.

There has now been an appeal by the police for information for anyone who knows anything about the armed robbery.

With nights getting darker and colder, the crime rate in Leeds seems to be increasing, and Co-op aren’t the only ones to be suffering from this recent spike in crime.

According to CrimeRate.co.uk, Leeds is the third most dangerous city in West Yorkshire. In 2020, there were 137 crimes per 1,000 people.

Police are urging people to stay as safe as they can, and asking people to be cautious now nights are dark.