A downtown Auckland dairy is the latest to be hit by a ram-raid on Thursday morning, with incredible CCTV footage showing the burglary unfolding.
In a statement, police said they're investigating a ram-raid at Wynyard Mart on Halsey Street in downtown Auckland at around 2:25am.
Surveillance footage provided to Newshub shows a group of four alleged offenders tearing through the central Auckland dairy.
The footage shows a vehicle being used to gain entry before thieves tried to kick in the glass, with one of the alleged offenders falling flat on their back.
Once inside, they grabbed what appears to be cigarettes and electronic accessories, before fleeing in the same vehicle. Police officers were on the scene a short time later.
A police spokesperson said their inquiries into the ram-raid are ongoing, which include looking at CCTV footage.
"It's understood four offenders have taken some items before fleeing from the scene in the same vehicle used to gain entry," the spokesperson said.
Police said so far no one has been arrested.
They urge anyone with information to come forward and speak to them.
"Anyone with information which may assist is asked to contact Police via our 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report. Please reference file number 220915/7593.
"Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111."
The latest burglary comes after another spate of ram-raids this week.
On Wednesday, thieves ram-raided the entrance of LynMall before stealing from "a number of stores" and then fleeing.
On Tuesday, a Henderson vape store was ram-raided, with the front of the store destroyed, leaving the owner too "scared to come to work".
Ram-raids have spiked this year, with Police Minister Chris Hipkins revealing in Parliament last month there had been 129 ram-raids since May and "almost all of them" had been committed by people under 18.
When questioned by ACT about the spike in ram-raids, Hipkins told the House 38 offenders had been identified or arrested with "almost all of these people are under 18 years old, and their median age was 15".
In the past five years, ram-raids and smash-and-grab robberies have increased dramatically with a 400 percent spike - 76 percent of those being caught under the age of 18, RNZ reported last month.
