KEY POINTS:
A woman has been charged with robbing a supermarket four times in three weeks - once spilling 24 items stuffed up her jumper as she dashed out the door.
Police say the 18-year-old, who is now before the courts, has stolen hundreds of dollars worth of groceries from Woolworths in Manurewa.
It is alleged she targeted the same store each time because it stocked a brand of corned beef that she liked and couldn't find elsewhere.
Police arrested the woman after executing several search warrants on her house this month and finding $3000 worth of groceries in a box. They have also recovered two stolen cars and a number of other items from the same house.
She came to police attention late last month after she tried to buy nappies while holding her hand over her stomach, raising the suspicion of the checkout operator.
The woman then ran from the supermarket with grocery items falling from the bottom of her jumper. It is alleged she had 24 items hidden in her clothes but supermarket staff recovered only the few items that fell on the ground.
Police say the young woman returned to the same supermarket on May 5 with her partner and stole some chocolate, again hiding it under a jumper.
Two days later she returned with a friend. This time it is alleged they grabbed a chillerbag from the store, placed seven large cans of corned beef - valued at $141 - inside the bag and walked out the door. It is alleged they left in a Subaru Legacy, which was stolen several days earlier.
The final theft took place on May 16, when a further two cans of corned beef were stolen.
Constable Warrick Adkin, the officer in charge of Operation Woolworths which investigated the series of supermarket thefts, said police executed a search warrant on the girl's home and found the box of groceries.
They also recovered the Subaru that was allegedly used as a getaway car in the May 7 theft and a second stolen Subaru, plus a number of items that were in the car when it was stolen.
Mr Adkin said it was believed the stolen cars were being used during the shoplifting as getaway vehicles so they would not be traced back to the alleged offenders if supermarket staff took down the registration details.
The girl is facing a number of charges, including shoplifting, possession of a P pipe and unlawfully taking and receiving stolen cars. Her 22-year-old friend and 21-year-old partner are also facing charges.
A total of three warrants have now been executed on the girl's house and Mr Adkin said the items found there had led to police being able to close 14 different files.
Inquiries into the supermarket thefts are continuing. Police are also investigating allegations that some supermarkets are being hit by thieves stealing to order for dairies.
Ian Seed, national loss prevention manager for Progressive Enterprises, which owns Woolworths, said shoplifting was a significant problem for supermarkets.
The theft was treated seriously and police were always called when someone was caught.
"People need to understand that it's a crime and it's seen by retailers as a very serious crime."
