Bay of Plenty store owner feels ‘helpless’ as retail crime doubles in 5 years

Owners of Bay stores hit repeatedly by thieves say they feel “helpless”, scared and frustrated by a perceived lack of punishment for young offenders as new figures show retail crime doubling in the region over five years.

Dairy owners say thieves are targeting eggs, butter, bacon, chocolate, cash, or “whatever” they can get their hands on, and some seem to be “mocking” the system and doing it “just for fun”.

The police district data was released by National Party police spokesman Mark Mitchell on Sunday. His office said it showed the number of reported incidents of retail crime was 33 per cent higher in 2022 than in 2021 in the Bay of Plenty.

Between 2018 and 2022, there was a 103 per cent increase in incidents in the Bay.

Nationally, there were 292 retail crime incidents every day in 2022, up from 140 per day in 2018.

The figures have been described as “sobering” by Retail NZ’s boss.

But Police Minister Stuart Nash said police numbers were up, retail crime reporting had been made easier and Government support for crime-hit retailers was making a difference.

Matua Dairy owner Davinder Singh told the Bay of Plenty Times the shop had four or five break-ins in a year.

“It is really hard nowadays to be honest. It is quite scary. You don’t know what is going to happen next.”

Offenders would usually come in and “take whatever they can”, including eggs, chocolate, or cash from the till, he said.

Singh said his dairy was also targeted in a ram-raid where nothing was stolen but eggs were smashed.

He believed retail crime was rising because there was not enough punishment for the offenders even if they got caught.

“They are just doing it for fun nowadays. They are just mocking the Government, mocking everyone.”

Omokoroa Minimart and Takeaways owner Saed Rajput. Photo / Mead Norton

Ōmokoroa Minimart and Takeaways owner Saed Rajput said something needed to be done if retail crime in the region had increased more than 100 per cent.

Rajput, who has owned the business since July 2021, said it was targeted three times in three months last year, including two “back-to-back” break-ins then a ram-raid.

“What can we do about it? We can’t break the law. We are helpless.

“It is really disappointing.”

Rajput believed retail crime had increased because of a “job crisis” after the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.

He said the Government needed to focus more on supporting small businesses.

“I work hard, seven days a week. We are paying our taxes, and in return what are we getting?

“We are working hard and then the next day somebody comes and takes your hard-earned money from your pocket.

“Being in business at the moment, is it safe? I don’t know. You don’t know who is coming into my shop next, if they are good or bad.”

Rajput said the Ōmokoroa community helped keep him going. “We are lucky to be in this community. They tell me to not give up.”

The owner of Fenton Park Dairy in Rotorua, Milesh Kumar, said shoplifting happened “daily” at his business - typically for butter, cans of food, bacon, refrigerated products or “anything that they can fit in their pockets”.

“Shoplifting happens either way anyway but it’s just on the rise because people are desperate. And inflation is so high that they just do it.”

Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar said shoplifters were stealing “anything and everything that they can get hold of”.

In his view, the process of dealing with shoplifters was “so lengthy and tough” that people did not want to report retail crimes any more and “there’s no action plan”.

Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford said the new figures were “sobering” but consistent with anecdotal feedback from retailers, with increasing numbers of thefts, burglaries, and fraud impacting retailers across the sector, both in-store and online.

“The increasing volume of retail crime is a long-term trend, and is increasingly organised and sophisticated, as well as increasingly violent and aggressive.”

Police, through the new Retail Crime Unit, were doing a “reasonable job” of bringing offenders to justice but more could be done.

Harford said it was important police officers had the resources they needed to deal with retail crime efficiently and effectively.

That included more police presence in retail shopping areas, giving them the power to issue infringement notices for low-level retail crime to ensure “real consequences” for those offenders, he said.

“But we also need to see an all-of-Government approach to get the message out to everyone in the community that it’s never okay to steal, no matter who you are stealing from.”

Harford said any goods that were high-value and can be readily onsold have become a target for retail crime and Retail NZ advised retailers to review their security arrangements, train their teams in managing these issues, and report everything to the police.

A Countdown spokesperson said it was actively working with the police and other retailers to develop shared solutions to the rise in retail crime and customer aggression.

Mitchell said National had a plan to restore law and order.

“Unless the Government gets serious about fighting crime and cracking down on this offending, criminals will continue to feel like they can operate with impunity, putting Kiwi lives and businesses at risk.”

Nash said there were now 1600 more police on the streets, increasing to 1800 in June.

“That is the largest increase in police numbers in the history of the police service.”

The Retail Crime Prevention Programme managed by police had made “significant progress” in delivering protective equipment and extra prevention advice for retailers who had been victims to ram-raid-style burglaries or aggravated robberies, with 2222 “security interventions” approved and allocated to contractors, he said.

“These interventions are making a difference.”

Nash said that, since 2017, there has been a significant increase in the number of major retail chains reporting shoplifting and theft incidents on Auror, particularly for goods less than $500.

“It’s fantastic that there is now a tool to monitor and report these instances of shoplifting at supermarkets and retail outlets that were previously going unreported.

“Police remain committed to investigating offending at retail premises and will continue to work hard in holding those responsible to account.”

Police have previously said the increase in reports of retail crime is largely due to better reporting and recording methods.

Bay of Plenty District Commander, Superintendent Tim Anderson said police were part of a coordinated partnership approach with other agencies, communities, iwi, and social service providers addressing retail crime offending.

“Police are doing everything we can to prevent this crime and harm, so everybody in our communities can feel safe and be safe.”