by Alex Claridge

Canterbury city centre has been rocked by another brazen smash-and-grab raid.

Two men in crash helmets took a sledgehammer to the window of specialist Apple goods shop Stormfront in the Marlowe Arcade early Wednesday morning.

Police have arrested two men and believe they could part of the same gang which raided the Canterbury Jewellers and Pawnbrokers last week.

Detectives are also linking that to a failed attempt to rob a security van at Morrisons in Wincheap on February 2.

Wednesday’s raid was the latest in a series of serious crimes in the city this month.

CCTV operators called police at 2.53am to say two men in crash helmets had smashed the window of Stormfront. One man was arrested by police inside the shop at 2.55am while the second ran off and was detained by the Boots in Gravel Walk at 2.57am.

Officers have also seized a moped and all the property from Stormfront has been recovered. It is believed the raiders had been targeting sought-after Apple equipment such as iPads and iPods.

Mark Taylor, the store’s area manager, said: “The stuff that’s been taken is all the latest ranges, they’re desirable gadgets and people want to have them.

“Obviously, we’ll have to have a good look at what’s been taken when the police let us back inside, but it’s a bit of a mess at the moment.”

Metal gates used to close the arcade off at night, but they were removed several years ago.

Dean Komlenac, manager of Whitefriars Patisserie next door, closed for business at 11pm on Tuesday night and arrived at just before 8am on Wednesday to the scene of a crime.

He said: “First thing I saw was all the police tape, broken glass on the floor and police officers standing outside.

“There’s was nothing suspicious when I left last night, but there’s CCTV cameras and 24-hour security at Whitefriars so I imagine whatever happened would’ve been seen.”

See this week's Kentish Gazette for full story and pictures.