Police have taken three people into custody after a raid on a West Auckland petrol station - the most recent in a series of incidents in the city.
In the latest case a Caltex station on West Coast Road was targeted after midnight. CCTV footage shows several offenders breaking open the outer door and then smashing through an inner security screen as a fog cannon is deployed.
Police say the group made off with the till, and their vehicle was soon after located by the Police Eagle helicopter. The car was later spiked. Police say the employee on duty moved to a secure place during the incident and was unharmed.
They also say they are keeping an open mind as to whether this could be related to earlier petrol station raids.
Yesterday, the owner of a several Caltex franchises in Auckland, Sanjai Bagia, spoke out after a robbery at his Western Springs business on Sunday morning. He said that incident was the eighth affecting his petrol station so far this year.
The Motor Trade Association said petrol station robberies were a nationwide issue, and a recent survey of its 800 members who run petrol stations showed that crime was their primary concern. MTA Chief Executive Lee Marshall told 1News that unless the problem could be brought under control, the industry faced a "USA-style" crime hell, where employees would have to serve customers from inside cages.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell acknowledged the country had a problem with violent retail crime. He said the government's policies of putting more police on the beat, and increasing police powers over gangs, were measures which would help. He also said he would work with police, private security and the retail sector on a new approach to retail crime.
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