Rotorua dairy owners targeted daily by shoplifters as data shows doubling of retail crime incidents in Bay of Plenty

Owners of Rotorua stores hit repeatedly by thieves are frustrated by a perceived lack of punishment for young offenders as new figures show retail crime doubling in the Bay of Plenty over five years.

Dairy owners say thieves are targeting butter, bacon, tinned food, cigarettes, or “anything they can fit in their pockets”, with one believing offenders get away with it because the laws are “too soft”.

The police district data was released by National Party police spokesman Mark Mitchell on Sunday. His office said it showed the number of reported incidents of retail crime in the Bay of Plenty was 33 per cent higher in 2022 than in 2021.

Between 2018 and 2022, there was a 103 per cent rise in incidents in the region.

Nationally, there were 292 retail crime incidents every day in 2022, up from 140 a day in 2018.

The figures have been described as “sobering” by Retail NZ’s boss Greg Harford.

But Police Minister Stuart Nash said police numbers were up, retail crime reporting had been made easier and Government support for crime-hit retailers was making a difference.

Fenton Park Dairy owner Milesh Kumar told the Rotorua Daily Post shoplifting happened “daily” at his business.

In his view: “It’s mostly underaged youth because they get away with it because the laws are too soft.

“They’re doing adult crimes and not getting the punishment they deserve.”

Kumar said items typically stolen included butter, cans of food, bacon, refrigerated products — “anything that they can fit in their pockets”.

“It’s hard for everybody but it doesn’t give the right to shoplift.

“Shoplifting happens either way anyway but it’s just on the rise because people are desperate. And inflation is so high that they just do it.”

Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar. Photo / Andrew Warner

Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar said shoplifters were stealing “anything and everything that they can get hold of”.

“The stores are really p***ed off, they are annoyed, it’s happening on a daily basis where somebody’s coming over and they’re running away with a packet of cigarettes.”

In his view, the process of dealing with shoplifters was “so lengthy and tough” that people did not want to report some retail crimes anymore.

“And then when you do report it, nobody’s coming back to you with a solution.”

Kumar said in his view, “there’s no action plan”.

“And we are at the brunt of it - small to medium businesses.

“We’ve had enough of it and we want to feel safe in our community.”

Kumar said crimes were not just committed by young truants — it was adults, too.

“The solution is, people need to know that there is going to be a punishment ... until then, this is going to continue.”

Matua Dairy owner Davinder Singh said the shop had four or five break-ins in a year.

“It is really hard nowadays, to be honest. It is quite scary. You don’t know what is going to happen next.”

Offenders would “take whatever they can”, including eggs, chocolate, or cash from the till, he said.

Singh said his dairy was targeted in a ram raid where nothing was stolen but eggs were smashed.

He believed retail crime was rising because there was not enough punishment for offenders even if they got caught.

“They are just doing it for fun nowadays. They are just mocking the government, mocking everyone.”

Rotorua’s Four Square Edmund Rd owner Clare Gallagher said her customers were supportive of the business.

“We are pretty lucky ... our community are pretty aware and they support us wholeheartedly and I’m pleased to be able to say that, while we know it’s going on in some pretty horrible ways in some places, that we’re doing okay.”

Retail NZ’s Harford said the new figures were “sobering” but consistent with anecdotal feedback from retailers, with increasing numbers of thefts, burglaries, and fraud impacting retailers across the sector, both in-store and online.

”The increasing volume of retail crime is a long-term trend, and is increasingly organised and sophisticated; as well as increasingly violent and aggressive.”

Police, through the new Retail Crime Unit, was doing a “reasonable job” of bringing offenders to justice but more could be done.

Harford said it was important police officers had the resources they needed to deal with retail crime efficiently and effectively.

That included more police presence in retail shopping areas, giving them the power to issue infringement notices for low-level retail crime to ensure “real consequences” for those offenders, he said.

”But we also need to see an all-of-Government approach to get the message out to everyone in the community that it’s never okay to steal, no matter who you are stealing from.”

Harford said any goods that were high-value and could be readily onsold had become a target for retail crime and Retail NZ advised retailers to review their security arrangements, train their teams in managing these issues, and report everything to the police.

A Countdown spokesperson said it was actively working with the police and other retailers to develop shared solutions to the rise in retail crime and customer aggression.

Mitchell said National had a plan to restore law and order.

“Unless the Government gets serious about fighting crime and cracking down on this offending, criminals will continue to feel like they can operate with impunity, putting Kiwi lives and businesses at risk.”

Nash said there were now 1600 more police on the streets, increasing to 1800 in June.

“That is the largest increase in police numbers in the history of the police service.”

The Retail Crime Prevention Programme managed by police had made “significant progress” in delivering protective equipment and extra prevention advice for retailers who had been victims to ram raid-style burglaries or aggravated robberies, with 2222 “security interventions” approved and allocated to contractors, he said.

“These interventions are making a difference.”

Nash said since 2017, there has been a significant increase in the number of major retail chains reporting shoplifting and theft incidents on Auror, particularly for goods less than $500.

“It’s fantastic that there is now a tool to monitor and report these instances of shoplifting at supermarkets and retail outlets that were previously going unreported.

“Police remain committed to investigating offending at retail premises and will continue to work hard in holding those responsible to account.”

Police have previously said the increase in reports of retail crime is largely due to better reporting and recording methods.

Bay of Plenty District Commander, Superintendent Tim Anderson said police were part of a coordinated partnership approach with other agencies, communities, iwi, and social service providers addressing retail crime offending.

“Police are doing everything we can to prevent this crime and harm, so everybody in our communities can feel safe and be safe.”