Police respond after brazen attempt to steal groceries at Auckland Countdown supermarket

Police responded to a brazen attempt by two women who tried to leave an Auckland supermarket with a trolley packed with stolen groceries - only to be thwarted by quick-thinking staff who intervened metres from the exit.

Shocking video recorded on Sunday morning at Countdown Papakura shows staff fighting back, upending a trolley as two women attempted to leave the store with a trolley full of goods.

A police spokesperson said they received a report of theft from a commercial premises on Great South Rd, Papakura around 8.20am yesterday.

“Police attended and made inquiries,” said the spokesperson.

The footage captured by another shopper shows a staff member gripping a railing to brace against the two women’s attempts to yank the trolley away, only for his grip to hold and the railing come free.

The women threatened violence against the staff and told them they were “not allowed to touch” them.

One staff member eventually tipped the trolley to the ground, leaving the women to snatch some items from the floor and beat a hasty retreat, with one appearing to suffer a wardrobe malfunction.

A police spokesperson said it took a community approach to crack down on theft crimes.

“While Police have an important role to play, it is not something we can combat alone,” they said.

Police worked with retail groups and retailers in an effort to prevent theft through environmental design to plan the layout and design of a shop, through education training to teach workers how to use Auror.” (Auror is a retail crime intelligence platform).

“We rely on retailers to report thefts to us, as this enables us to put our efforts and resources into the right places. Police would absolutely encourage retailers to report theft as soon as possible after it happens, to allow us the best possible opportunity of taking action.”

The police spokesperson said an immediate response to a retail theft was not always required but was assuring retailers there are a number of steps they take to follow up, such as reviewing CCTV footage for evidence if this was available.

“Police are committed to targeting crime of any nature and holding offenders to account.”

The cheeky thieves made a hasty exit. Photo / Supplied

A Countdown spokesperson said the company didn’t comment on individual incidents, which could put team members at risk.

“The safety and wellbeing of our team and communities is our absolute priority and the measures we have in place are designed with this in mind.

“We are always reviewing our health and safety controls to ensure we’re doing everything we can to keep our team and customers safe in our stores.”

Countdown was working with police and other retailers to develop solutions to the rise in retail crime and customer aggression.

Papakura locals say they are “sick” of the trend following Sunday’s theft attempt at Countdown.

Carlene Mataira recorded the video on Sunday morning and says that she has witnessed similar offending the last two times she visited the store.

“I’m sick of it, it’s happening way too much, especially in Papakura,” Mataira told the Herald.

“I hurt for the staff that have to put up with this.”

She said that while the economy was tough, it was tough on everyone and labelled the women as “entitled” and their actions as “disgusting”.

“How disgusting that you think it’s okay to do this,” she wrote online.

“How disgusting that you think the staff go to work daily to put up with your damn s***!”

She applauded the actions of the staff and told the thieves to “pull ya damn pants up!!!”.

Others in the community echoed Mataira’s comments, with one writing that the thieves were “absolute scum” whose actions would lead others to be unfairly racially profiled.

Another suggested that the ongoing trend hurts all consumers.

“Our costs keep rising because of these thieving low-lifes. Who do you think pays for every stolen item, every injured employee, every rammed store?” they asked.