Robberies and assaults increased at supermarkets run by Foodstuffs across the North Island between May and July 2023, up nearly 60% on the same period last year.
Nearly 4000 incidents have been recorded in that three month period this year at Pak’n’Save, New World and Four Square stores.
That’s up nearly 19% on the last quarter.
Foodstuffs said most concerning is the rise in assaults, with 54 separate attacks in the last quarter, mostly on staff.
In a video released by Foodstuffs, a man tried to leave a store with two bags filled with nine legs of lamb worth around $450.
When the bags were taken off him, he was seen to be carrying a screwdriver.
Another incident saw a man trying to steal a trolley full of tinned corn beef and mayonnaise, while a third saw a man assault a security guard while trying to leave with a basket full of items.
"Our frontline staff are continuing to be confronted by the worst of it," said Chris Quin, chief executive of Foodstuffs North Island.
"We’re now seeing on average four assaults every week, with five of our people having to take time off work after being physically injured by this violent behaviour. It’s utterly unacceptable."
Foodstuffs was working on a framework to trial facial recognition technology, in a bid to assess whether recidivist offending can be reduced.
Quin had met with Government ministers and opposition MPs, public servants, police, the National Retail Investigation Support Unit and industry working groups on ways to deal with the issue.
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