An Auckland business owner has been left with a hefty repair bill after a man attempted to ram-raid a vintage clothing store early on Tuesday morning – with an e-scooter.
Security camera footage shared on social media shows a man unsuccessfully attempting to break through the glass storefront of Smoove, located on Karangahape Road, around 4.30am.
After around 30 minutes of bludgeoning, video shows the glass eventually cracks but fails to give way. The man then attempts to pull the door open before leaving on foot empty-handed.
He has since been arrested by police.
Smoove owner Matthew Lark told 1News while there have been multiple robberies along the street recently but it was the first attempted ram-raid.
Lark said he was "surprised it hadn’t happened sooner".
He said crime has risen in the area since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, adding that just "a fraction" of the crimes were being reported amid concerns around a lack of police action and a time-consuming reporting process.
Businesses in the area were instead relying on "real effort and funds" and a community WhatsApp group to alert other business owners to repeat offenders, he said.
Lark called for a greater police presence in the area, as well as a dedicated “body on the ground” to monitor crime and other antisocial behaviour along the street.
He compared the spike in crime to the "naughty kid in the class taking away the attention from the other kids", saying the area should instead be celebrated.
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