Police and private businesses are stepping up their response to an ongoing wave of retail crime, with one major retailer hiring a security firm and police visiting petrol stations to deter would-be offenders.
It comes as CCTV footage captured the moment multiple businesses in Auckland's Māngere were smashed in an early morning ram raid, causing $20,000 worth of damage.
Centre manager Dave Fearon said it seemed an "ongoing series of ram raids" has turned to his centre.
"They've done some damage, but they didn't manage to break into shop they were aiming for."
Damage is also being done at petrol stations, with one Caltex in Manurewa hit on Sunday morning.
Caltex franchise owner Ospora Howlader had just bought the business a month ago.
“We took the hand over and then this happened. We are really worried because we never know what’s gonna happen. Even in the daytime, we are not safe.”
'We seem to be a bit of a target'
Z Energy retailer Clint Nel said that they were seeing a spike in incidents over the past few weeks.
“We, for reasons unknown to us, seem to be a bit of a target at this point in time, but I’d also like to stress that retail crime is not new.”
A private security firm has been hired by Z Energy to perform what they have dubbed “welfare checks” on staff.
Nel said that a key element is their unpredictable nature.
“We are looking for them to be random and likewise the time that they spend on site could vary from a few minutes to longer periods of time.”
Guards would also be stationed on a “semi-permanent basis” at areas that could be hot spots, he said.
However, the first response for guards would be to call police.
“We certainly wouldn't be expecting the security or any of our staff and that matter to put themselves in the harm's way or to try and resist.”
Fears someone will be seriously hurt
Police have also stepped up their presence, saying they have visited petrol stations 200 times across Auckland to provide reassurance to workers.
Six arrests in have been made recent weeks, with most being teenagers, but police worry that this offending could still get worse.
Detective inspector Karen Bright said some offenders are taking what could be weapons into the petrol stations.
“They may be using them to smash the windows, things like hammers, but those can also be used as weapons, and so we are really worried that someone is going to get really seriously injured.”
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