Armed robbers at Te Awa mall, Hamilton. Video / Supplied
Police have beefed up their presence after two same-day robberies at shopping malls in Hamilton and are investigating whether the two incidents are linked.
Armed robbers carried out a daylight smash-and-grab at a busy Hamilton mall yesterday and a security guard was injured in a separate early morning raid on a shopping centre.
The masked thieves involved in the mall incident were seen smashing glass cabinets at Michael Hill Jewellers at The Base, Te Rapa Hamilton about 11.30am - leaving shoppers horrified and workers sobbing.
Detective Senior Sergeant Kristine Clarke said: "Police recognise that people will be shaken by these events and may have concerns about their safety while shopping."
However, police urged people not to put themselves in danger during such incidents.
"We are following strong lines of enquiry on both incidents, including working to determine whether there are any links between the two," Clarke said.
The group of masked men raiding the Michael Hill jewellery store in the Te Awa Mall, Hamilton. Photo / NZME
Hamilton's three large malls, Centre Place, Chartwell Shopping Centre and The Base, all had a greater police presence today "to reassure anyone who might be concerned about yesterday's incidents".
A retail worker in Te Awa, The Base said she was alerted to the robbery when she heard a scream.
"I ran out to go see and saw seven guys, dressed in fully black, just smashing everything, yelling at the girls that were working," she said.
She said the workers in Michael Hill were shaking and crying, and another mall worker was on the ground shaking after the incident.
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate's told Newstalk ZB she was angry and frustrated that these crimes were "ramping up" and getting more brazen.
Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford told NZME it was "absolutely horrific" and he was worried about staff and customers who witnessed the incident.
"Nobody should be having this sort of thing happen to them when they go to work, and nobody should be experiencing this when they go shopping.
"The worry is someone could get killed if these situations escalated."
He said there was a lot of concern from retailers over who could be targeted next and staff safety.
"I think we're very much in the middle of a tidal wave of crime sweeping the retail sector. I mean we've always seen isolated incidents in retail but what's concerning these issues are becoming more frequent, they're becoming more violent and they're becoming more brazen.
"This is not a kid stealing a chocolate bar from a shop after school, this is organised gangs and criminals who are out there to get what they can."
