Crime continues to run rampant in Auckland and business operators are fed up, with one incident taking place in broad daylight.
Shocking new footage has emerged showing a brazen daylight robbery in Auckland’s Takapuna.
It happened at a Michael Hill Jeweler and was followed by a night of violent crime in the city.
As the camera starts rolling, all you can hear is the sound of glass being smashed.
It's mid-afternoon on Takapuna's main street, and it's coming from its Michael Hill Jeweller. The smashing continues, and after a few seconds you can make out two hooded thieves.
Inside workers are left stunned, as the offenders smashed a cabinet with metal bars. As they leave, one of them yells "hurry up" in what sounds like a child-like voice.
Then racing to their car, one swings an arm at a pedestrian before they speed off.
Takapuna Beach Business association Terence Harpur told Newshub that the criminals are becoming more fearless.
"You can see how brazen these thugs are becoming they've come in, in broad daylight with crowbars and have come and smashed their way into a jewellery store. It's very distressing."
Distressing but not unheard of here, Adrian's Tuners shop is next door, six weeks ago, he too, was the victim of a very similar smash and grab.
"Came in and started bashing the living daylights out of the cabinets in the store."
Businesses in Takapuna are worried, but for them, it's been two years of worry. First COVID-19 shut their doors, and now criminals are smashing them down.
"Been all over the place, and now that we can actually start to trade and operate and build momentum, this happens, it's just getting out of control."
Business owners across town in Three Kings might agree. At around 3am a group smashed into a bottle store, its owner says they made off with a large amount of booze.
Goods were stolen ten minutes away too, from a dairy on Manukau Road, its roller door smashed in.
And It didn't end there - police were called to an assault on Beach Road, in the CBD, at around 1am.
Newshub's camera operator Tim was at the scene and says the victim was in an extremely bad way.
"The level of violence that had been put on to that person, I was stunned, and I have seen a lot in my fifteen years as a breaking-news cameraman, I don't ever remember seeing a victim that bad."
A man, who was loitering around the scene near our camera, was later arrested.
Police are investigating all of these incidents - while business owners again ask, when will it end?
