Four girls, aged 12-15 have been arrested after a spate of break-ins across Christchurch overnight.
Police are investigating after the group ram-raided a supermarket, before breaking into a dairy and a fish and chip store.
Two girls, aged 14 and 15, will appear in Youth Court next month on related charges.
Two others, aged 12 were spoken to in relation to the incidents.
In a statement, police said they were arrested after a member of the public reported their driving behaviour this morning.
The group failed to stop when signalled, so officers deployed road spikes near Lincoln.
Their vehicle eventually came to a stop on Jack Hinton Drive, in the suburb of Addington.
Their alleged offending began around 4.45am, when a stolen Mazda Demio was used to gain entry to New World on Wilsons Rd, in St Martins.
"Several offenders are believed to have been involved, and left in a stolen Nissan Bluebird," police said in a statement.
The same vehicle was used an hour later in the burglary of a dairy and a fish and chip shop on Ensign St, in Halswell.
Two offenders were captured on CCTV camera smashing the entrance to those two stores, using a large spanner.
The footage shows offenders breaking into a dairy and a fish and chip shop. (Source: Supplied)
"Scene examinations will be carried out and inquiries are under way to locate the offenders and determine what was taken," police said.
Foodstuffs spokesperson Emma Wooster said, "the thieves got away with a very limited amount of stock".
1News understands that included zero percent alcohol.
The CCTV footage from Oaks Village Foodmart shows the offenders were unable to take anything more than ice-creams from their store.
The dairy's manager Kishan Bhalani said the store had only just finished installing bars, that run along the inside of their windows and doors.
He said Oaks Village Foodmart got funding for that through the Retail Crime Prevention Programme.
It also has concrete bollards in front of the store, installed after the dairy was ram-raided twice in three days, in August.
Waiting for fog cannons
Bhalani said the security measures in place meant offenders "couldn't get anything else".
But, he said, they're still seeking further protections and have asked police for fog cannons.
"We asked about a month ago, but not yet," he said.
The next fish and chip store, which was also targeted, Urban Seafoods, says it wants one too.
One of the owners, Ram, told 1News, "our fog cannon application wasn't approved."
He believes they should be eligible for the extra security support.
Nothing was stolen from their store this time, but about a year ago a break in cost them more than $1,000.
Another worker in the same block of shops in Halswell said they're very concerned.
Multiple stores were targeted by thieves. (Source: 1News)
The overnight crime is just the latest in a string of incidents in Christchurch.
Police say four youths aged between 12 and 14 were arrested on Thursday morning, following a number of burglaries and car thefts over the past week.
There were another two break-ins, in the early hours of Friday morning.
Hornby mall was ram-raided at 4:30am, and a commercial premises on Lincoln Road in Addington was broken into, about 5.20am.
Inquiries are ongoing to locate the offenders.
Supermarkets are on the frontline
Foodstuffs said its teams are now dealing with the consequences of retail crime every day.
"Everyone deserves to go to work and come home safe," Wooster said.
"In this case the store was closed to customers, but there were a number of team members in the store when a car smashed into the front of their workplace in the early hours of this morning.
"Thankfully no one was physically hurt, but some team members were extremely shaken."
She said the store has increased its security, adding they're assisting police to find the perpetrators of what she called a "pointless and dangerous crime".
Police are reassuring the community that this type of offending will not be tolerated.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact them on 105, referencing file number 230429/9455.
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