Papakura Mobil hit by thieves in crime wave

Another gas station in Auckland has been targeted by thieves overnight.

Police arrived at the Mobil gas station in Papakura at around 1.20am after burglars smashed their way through laminated glass and forced open a metal screen.

Police arrived at the petrol station around 1.20am. Photo / Hayden Woodward

The station has been taped off and a police scene guard put in place. Cordons will remain until forensics staff attend the scene in the morning.

Police told the Herald the vehicle used by the offenders had been found abandoned and has since been recovered.

The station on Grove Rd is normally open from 5am to 9pm.

The burglars smashed open a glass window and forced their way through a metal screen. Photo / Hayden Woodward

It’s the latest in a spate of petrol station robberies in Auckland - many of which have occurred while workers were still on the shop floor.

Early on Sunday morning, nine thieves broke into a manned Caltex in Manurewa, stealing $20,000 worth of goods while a worker hid in an office.

On Monday night, five robbers armed with hammers broke into a Māngere Bridge G.A.S station, forcing a worker to lock himself in a back room while they banged on the door demanding he open the safe.

Police have started conducting overnight checks on petrol stations across the city and say they have made several arrests as part of ongoing investigations into the robberies.