An Auckland dairy has been ram-raided two days out from Christmas.
Te Atatū Discount Superette was targeted early on Saturday morning in the latest act of crime targeting small businesses in the city.
No one was hurt and staff could could be seen cleaning up at the dairy in Te Atatū Rd, Te Atatū Peninsula.
Police were called and told the store was being ram-raided shortly after 5.45am, a police spokesman said.
“Inquiries are ongoing to locate those involved; thankfully, no one was injured but a small amount of stock was taken from the store.”
The brazen acts have been a blight on retailers in recent years, with police figures in July showing ram raids had climbed to an average of more than two a day.
The figures show there were at least 388 “ram raid-style events” in a six-month period to the end of May, including 99 that remained unsolved at that time.
During the six-month period, police said there were 218 prosecutions for ram raids, while 86 young people were referred to Police Youth Services.
Last year, police recorded 516 ram raids nationwide.
Only a few hours after police released the data, a district court judge in West Auckland told a convicted teenage ram raider the public and police had had enough.
“The public are fed up with it, the police are fed up with it … and people want tougher penalties for this type of crime.”
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.
'Police cannot rule out the possibility of further arrests and charges.'