Whangārei District Councillor Gavin Benney said it's time New Zealand "went back to the basics of policing”.
Whangārei District Councillor Gavin Benney said it's time New Zealand "went back to the basics of policing”.
More police are needed on the beat in Northland to curb growing concerns about retail crime as figures show only a fraction are being acted on by police.
The police National Retail Investigation Support Unit (NRISU) made eight charges in Northland from November 2023 to May.
Over same period,police figures released to the Northern Advocate under the Official Information Act, show victimisations in retail locations in Northland totalled 2,728.
The figures include any crime that has taken place in a retail location that has a victim, for example, incidents damage to property, threatening or offensive behaviour, assault, and theft.
Whangārei District Councillor Gavin Benney – a former Northland police officer of 30 years - said it’s time New Zealand “went back to the basics of policing”.
The recent announcement of 90 extra beat cops in central Auckland was “a great initiative”, he said.
“But the question has to be asked why aren’t we doing the same here?
“There’s a major issue in the [Whangārei] city with homelessness, retail crime, disorder, and ram raids, and we don’t have officers on the beat at all.
The group formed in response to a homicide at a Raumanga service station, where 25-year-old Shayden Perkinson was killed while protecting a woman from being robbed.
“No one feels safe,” Benney said.
“If you walk downtown at some times of the day you actually feel in danger.
“The shops [at Raumanga] are regularly robbed, there’s a massive amount of crime there, we’ve got to address all that.
“You can’t beat officers on the ground in the area who talk to the people.”
Last year an aggravated robbery happened at Michael Hill Jeweller store on Cameron St in broad daylight.
The figures on the NRISU charges came to light following a parliamentary question by Labour MP Ginny Andersen to Police Minister Mark Mitchell in June.
The NRISU is an internal police unit, set up in November 2021 to target recidivist retail offenders.
A police spokesman said the unit works with the retail sector “to identify patterns of high priority repeat retail offending across the country, then works with district staff so they can apprehend the offenders”.
“The unit focuses on organised offenders or groups of offenders who have been abusive or intimidating towards retail staff and who have committed numerous offences.
“This is a much smaller proportion of the high volume of retail theft that is reported.”
Northland Chamber of Commerce president Tim Robinson said having a police presence “makes a difference”.
“We notice, and retailers tell us, when police are on the beat patrolling there is a downturn in retail crime.
“It’s a sad reflection of modern society. The nature of crime that police are dealing with... they just haven’t got the resources to deal with lower impact crime.
“Retail crime falls into that category.”
Robinson said he’s not surprised at the figures.
“A lot of businesses don’t have cameras, even if they observe someone shoplifting... the chances of them providing information to police is difficult.
“There are no means of police having a solid line of inquiry to go on. It’s challenging.”
Nationwide, more than 400 retail crimes were reported every day on average in 2023.
Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said retailers nationwide report that crime is increasing and escalating.
Locations include dairies, bottle stores, pharmacies, service stations, shops, stores, supermarkets, salons, restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, and shopping malls.
Last August, staff at Michael Hill Jeweller store on Cameron St were pushed to the floor as thieves brandishing weapons carried out an aggravated robbery in broad daylight.
Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said retailers nationwide report that crime is “increasing and escalating”.
“We are continuing to see a large range of violent and aggressive behaviour toward retail staff which is concerning.
“We had a recent report from retailers who have seen alleged offenders arrive at their premises with a gun.
“That is significant. We need to really get on top of these things right now.”
Young said retailers are investing “millions of dollars” to combat retail crime.
“We’re doing everything we can our end, but we need more police on the streets, more arrests, and more powers for police.
“And the justice system to be effective in the sentences they roll out, so it is a deterrent for people committing these crimes.”
Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.
