A man accused of robbing and fatally shooting a South Auckland store owner fired a practice shot at home, then called for volunteers to join him in the raid, a court has heard.

The Herald can reveal that the largest employee theft in NZ history - of nearly $18m - was discovered by a fluke.

A police pursuit of a suspected burglar has ended in a serious crash - bringing fresh claims that officers' powers have been weakened to the point that criminals have the advantage.

A weekend golfer was carjacked by three armed people, who led police on a high-speed chase through some of Auckland's busiest shopping streets yesterday.

A police car was hit by a bullet during a pursuit after an aggravated robbery at a Bay of Plenty petrol station on Sunday.