St Heliers dairy ram raid: Teen arrested in Beach Haven, two others arrested in car spiking

Auckland police have arrested three teenagers, two of whom were in a car spiked by officers, following a ram raid of a St Heliers dairy early yesterday morning. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Auckland police have arrested three teenagers, two of whom were in a car spiked by officers, following a ram raid of a St Heliers dairy early yesterday morning.

The trio, aged between 14 and 17, were put before the Auckland Youth Court today in regard to the incident at the “little local dairy, just dealing milk and bread”.

The dairy’s frontage was left structurally damaged after a car was used to gain entry about 5am Thursday.

The shop’s front door was smashed off its hinges and glass strewn across the ground outside.

Detective Senior Sergeant Geoff Barber said investigators looked at CCTV footage of the burglary as part of Operation Rhino.

A search warrant was conducted at a Beach Haven address yesterday and a 15-year-old was arrested.

The other teens were arrested this morning when police spiked a stolen car near Ōrākei.

“The vehicle eventually came to a stop after spikes were successfully deployed, with all the occupants being taken into custody at the scene,” Baber said.

The trio face a range of burglary and other dishonesty offence charges and more could be laid.

The dairy owner’s friend, Peter Ward, told the Herald it was the second raid on the dairy.

“Bloody second time,” he said.

Damage to the dairy's frontage from the ram raid. Photo / Hayden Woodward

“It’s just pretty bad, I’ve actually just moved north to get out of South Auckland.”

Ward told the Herald the offenders only appeared to be aged between 13 and 15 years old, asking rhetorically “what can you do?”

“Look at this, just look at this - that would easily be close to $10,000 worth to fix it - more,” he said.

“It’s not us, it’s the building manager who has to sort this.”

While various products were seen lying across the shop floor, Ward understood the shop owner doesn’t make as much due to not selling cigarettes.

“That’s where all the money is, they don’t sell them now because of this s***.”

The diary's owner says repairs may cost $10,000 or possibly more. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Ward said the shop owner works long hours, seven days a week serving the community and called the business a “little local dairy, just dealing milk and bread”.

He believes the working environment for dairy owners isn’t fair anymore.

“No punishment is the problem: if caught, a slap and told not to do it again,” he said.

Businesses in St Heliers, a beachside town in Auckland, have regularly been targeted by ram raids.

They were calling for regular police patrols after a random and unprovoked stabbing at the Four Square store in October last year.

The offender, an intoxicated man running with a knife, hit out at two people. One victim, a man, received minor injuries, police said.