A Glengarry Wines shop in Auckland's Mount Eden has been hit by burglars for the second time in a week - and the company's managing director believes the same young people may be responsible.
Police said in a statement that they were called to the store around 3.40am after the front window was found smashed and saw a group of young people fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
Four youths were found in a garage with a "quantity of alcohol" soon after and arrested.
Police attended the same scene on the evening of New Year's Eve after a similar break-in and also apprehended the offenders.
Glengarry Wines general manager Liz Wheadon told 1News she believes both Saturday and this morning's break-ins were done by the same people.
"To us it appears the same people and certainly looking at it, this morning it does appear the same, that's the indications that we're being given," she said.
Compared to previous break-ins, Wheadon says noticeably more alcohol was taken during these recent burglaries at Mount Eden.
She believes the offenders are generally more interested in the thrill of breaking and entering than what they actually steal.
"What we generally see is they don't take a lot. It seems to be more the act of breaking in than actually the act of stealing alcohol," she said. "[On] Saturday night and this morning there's certainly been a lot more alcohol taken [compared to other Glengarry burglaries], but also there's been a lot of damage. They've been very reckless in the way they've come into the store and smashed and bashed anything they can."
Wheadon notes that the cases are complex given how young the offenders are, but nonetheless she wants to see something change.
"The thing is they're 14 years old. What can you do with them?
"We need to look at the fact that the same kids broke in here on Saturday night and they were able to come back again this morning. What is wrong that means that they can do that?"
She was grateful to neighbours who called police quickly, and officers for turning up promptly.
Young offenders are believed to be responsible for the robberies. (Source: 1News)
Wheadon said in November last year the company had been hit by over 40 raids in the previous 18 months.
The impact on staff and the owners of the family-owned retailer was high. "It takes a massive toll on them."
She said the cost in terms of protection, security and clean-up was "enormous". "Last year we added it all up in November and got to quarter of a million dollars at that stage, so we're well over that now."
In the past 24 hours, a dairy owner in Hamilton was allegedly held up at gunpoint while a till and cigarettes were taken, while a dairy in Auckland's Point Chevalier was also robbed shortly before 8am today.
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