A shop has been ram-raided near Sylvia Park mall in Auckland overnight as a crime wave continues to grip the city.
Police said they were notified at 5am this morning about an "earlier incident where a vehicle had been used to force entry into a shop on Sylvia Park Road, Mt Wellington".
Police said they will be following up with the business to figure out what items have been taken and check any available CCTV footage.
The Sylvia Park incident followed an earlier incident where a post office/dairy was burgled on Station Road, Penrose, at around 11:30pm last night.
Police are making enquiries into that incident where offenders forced their way in to the store using tools.
The offenders fled the area in a stolen vehicle.
Police will be reviewing any available CCTV footage as well as conducting forensic enquiries at the store.
The store's owner told Newshub it's the second robbery at the superette in as many weeks. While cigarettes were stolen in the first break-in, this time the thieves only got away with ice cream and drinks.
He said he's at his "wit's end" with the stress and extra expenses forcing him to consider selling his business.
It comes as four youths, one as young as seven, broke into Chartwell Mall in Hamilton on Thursday night and after vision emerged filmed from the point-of-view of the alleged thieves involved in a ram-raid of Ormiston Mall in South Auckland early on Tuesday morning.
On Thursday detective inspector Karen Bright told AM police are taking the increase in ram-raid style robberies very seriously.
"We treat them seriously, we do absolutely everything we can, we use a range of investigative tools and we really want to identify those responsible so that this offending does not continue."
But Bright said because 90 percent of the offenders are teenagers or younger, the whole community has a role to play.
"When we've got 11-year-olds out in the middle of the night driving stolen cars and crashing into retail stores, there is a bigger problem out there.
"There is a part that other people can play including social media, parents, the wider community, keeping these kids in school and people who are receiving these stolen goods. There's a lot of things that can be done and it's not just a police issue to solve."
Bright also warned shop owners not to camp out in their stores overnight or try to take matters into their own hands. Instead, she said bollards, CCTV and good security doors are much more effective.
Ram-raid style robberies are causing concern across Auckland with a store in Mount Roskill and a gas station in Titirangi targeted on Tuesday. On the same night on the other side of Auckland, the Mairangi Bay Dairy was also hit, with thieves stealing cash and vapes. Meanwhile down the country in Christchurch, a Thirsty Liquor storefront was completely smashed.
Minister of Police Poto Williams says the Police and the Ministry of Social Development are working on a plan to address youths involved in gang activity.
