Police investigating burglary targeting two Tauranga Crossing jewellery stores

The Michael Hill store in Tauranga Crossing was barricaded off today. Photo / Supplied

Burglars have raided two jewellery stores at Tauranga Crossing.

Police were alerted there had been a break-in at the shopping centre at 2.13am Monday, a police spokesman said.

Pascoes and Michael Hill Jewellers stores were targeted.

The burglars fled the scene before police arrived.

The Bay of Plenty Times asked police what was taken, the value of those items and how the offenders gained access to the stores.

In a written response, police said: "A vehicle was located at the scene, and it is believed a group of offenders took a number of items before fleeing in another vehicle."

Officers searched the area but have yet to make any arrests.

If anyone has any information about this incident they are asked to call police on 105 quoting file number 210809/5108.

A shopper at the mall today said the Michael Hill store was closed and boarded off, while Pascoes was open.

It is the latest in a string of burglaries targeting jewellery stores.

As of August 3, there had been about nine Michael Hill Jeweller heists over the past year, the NZ Herald reported.

The chain's Whakatāne branch was ram-raided in July when two people smashed their way into the store's glass cabinets using a tomahawk before making off with thousands of dollars worth of jewellery.

There have also been break-ins in Auckland's Onehunga, Pukekohe, Henderson, Albany, Massey.

Police were also investigating the armed robbery of Sylvia Park's Pascoes jeweller on Friday.