Electronic war on trolley thieves

A North Shore town centre is being ringed by an electronic fence in an attempt to stop thefts of supermarket trundlers.

Northcote Central Woolworths supermarket has to replace about 300 trundlers - which cost more than $300 each - that go missing every 18 months.

"We have had no end of problems with trundlers being taken off that site and used as vehicles of destruction, rubbish bins and fireplaces," said Robin Pinner, divisional manager of Foodtown and Woolworths for Progressive Enterprises.

In an attempt to stop losses, he said, the supermarket was this week installing a system which threw up a magnetic field around the perimeter of the shopping centre, including its three car parks.

A signal emitted from the loop just under the ground triggered a locking mechanism on the wheel of the trundler once it reached an exit.

"And we can tweak the magnet up so people can't lift trundlers over the field either," said Mr Pinner.

The system will almost be installed when Prime Minister Helen Clark visits Northcote Central on Thursday to see progress on youth work, community safety and a major redevelopment of Housing New Zealand properties.

Yesterday, North Shore Mayor George Wood said he regretted that such a measure was necessary.

"I get annoyed when the councils, community and the Government are making such an effort to improve Northcote Central and we are plagued with people pushing their groceries home and not bringing [the trolleys] back.

"Trolleys are being left in walkways and at the backs of houses for weeks - some have grass growing through them.

"It's not a good look, so I support the supermarket in putting some pressure on customers to break a bad habit."

Northcote Mainstreet spokesman Dean Wilson said most trundlers seemed to be abandoned in streets and backyards within 100m of the centre.

This was not an unreasonable distance to carry a few bags of shopping.

Safer Northcote chairman the Rev Larry Samuel said the project demanded action to stop the visual pollution of trolleys after other methods, including a $50 recovery fee and prosecution warnings, failed.

Woolworths staff collected trolleys daily from the street but baulked at entering backyards, especially ones with dogs.

The bite into profits was also a strong argument, said Mr Samuel. Trolleys cost hundreds of dollars to replace.

He suggested to Woolworths that it fit an electronic system like the one used by Pak 'n Save Glen Innes at its car park entrances, which had cut losses.

"Now, it will be the first time a town centre will have a loop system.

"The signal reaches 1.2m high so people who get over-excited and think they can lift a trolley of groceries over the line will be disappointed."

Six weeks ago, car park exits at Foodtown in central Auckland were fitted with a magnetic field to top trundlers being pushed to nearby flats.

The Countdown Botany store has installed a magnetic field system as part of its shoplifting prevention measures.

It locks a trundler's wheel when a shoplifter goes to push it out of the building's entrance.