A suspected shoplifter is arrested at Bay Plaza by the new retail crime unit during a routine foot patrol. Photo / Rafaella Melo
The region’s newly formed police retail crime unit is on the beat in Napier and Hastings. Hawke’s Bay Today reporter Rafaella Melo joined them to find out how it’s working.
It was a typical Thursday at Bay Plaza.
Constables Ange Revell and Paul Conyers, of the new retail crime unit, were walking through the Hastings mall just before noon when they spotted a woman trying to evade them.
They followed her down the corridor towards the public toilets. Just metres from the entrance, they stopped her.
“We might have a warrant for you,” Conyers said.
“You’ve got a ‘required to arrest’ for shoplifting at Supercheap,” Revell added.
The woman was handcuffed and taken into custody.
This was no isolated incident.
Since the unit began work about two months ago, there have been 35 arrests and 179 charges relating to retail offending.
The team has executed search warrants at suspects’ homes, finding stolen property and other evidence of shoplifting.
Earlier that morning, five of the unit’s team of six gathered at the Hastings police station, preparing for the day.
Officers alternate their operations between Napier and Hastings.
That morning, their list included a search warrant, community patrols, engagement with retailers, and the return of goods to Number One Shoes, which had been stolen a week before.
Conyers said that, during a previous foot patrol, they came across a shoplifting incident that had just been reported.
“We found out that the same fellow had been in on three occasions and stolen property each time.
“When we arrested him later that day, we recovered some of the shoes. Then we did a search warrant this morning and recovered some more of the shoes.”
Inside the store, the officers handed the shoes over and let the manager know the offender had been charged.
“That’s all we like to hear,” store manager Samantha York said.
She recalled the theft clearly.
“We had a guy come in with sticky fingers and a bit intimidating as well. My girls kind of jumped on to him, but he was fast and knew what he was doing.
“He came in on Monday and came back on Tuesday. Luckily, mates over here [officers] turned up. Having their presence makes us feel safer.”
Nearby, during another patrol, Sergeant Harry Ghodke and Constable Susie Weeks stopped to have a chat with Mountain Warehouse store manager Barry Hintz.
“We had a shoplifter on Sunday,” Hintz said.
“He stole a pair of boots from us and, within 24 hours, the cops had caught him and returned them to us.”
He reported the theft online.
“That’s definitely the quickest result I’ve seen recently. This new unit has been really good.”
The Hastings store has been open for 18 months, and Hintz says shoplifting is a regular occurrence.
“Unfortunately, it’s common for the retail environment. We do experience heightened activity.”
Officers headed to The Park Megacentre.
At the newly opened JB Hi-Fi, store manager Jade Glastonbury says crime has already left a mark.
“We’ve had at least three incidents caught on video, and we’re averaging one caught-on-camera theft per week.”
The store was also finding regular stock discrepancies, suggesting additional thefts.
One of the most recent cases involved the theft of a personal digital assistant, a high-value handheld device used by staff.
“A team member placed it down briefly to complete a task. Within two minutes, someone picked it up and walked out.”
Security footage showed the suspect’s movements inside the store and in the carpark.
“We passed that information on to the retail crime unit. They identified the offender, obtained a warrant to search his premises ... recovered the device, and brought it back to us the next day,” Glastonbury said.
So far, about $5000 worth of stolen items have been recovered by police. Glastonbury estimates total losses sit between $2000 and $3000, excluding what’s been returned.
“Sergeant Harry [Ghodke] came in a few times before this incident just to introduce himself and explain how the unit works.
“We still lodge a case through 105, and then that’s passed on to Harry and his team, and they’ll directly make contact and work with us.
“It’s very streamlined. I registered another theft about a week ago and, within 24 hours, I got an email from the police to say that it’s been passed on to Harry and his team. Then, usually a day or two [later], I’m getting emails requesting the actual evidence on my side.”
Revell says reporting every offence is the key.
“Retailers sometimes don’t report small thefts because they don’t think anything will be done.
“But when that same offender has done the same thing in 15 stores, those small incidents add up. It’s not the value that we’re looking at. It’s the recidivism.
“If people don’t report, we don’t have a good picture of how bad that person really is. Let us decide what’s a priority. Report it all.”
Ghodke says ongoing issues at Onekawa shops are mostly not related to shoplifting, but rather to homelessness, begging and trespassing.
“I’m pretty sure that’s under control, and the Napier community team is dealing with that matter.
“There are two community cops who’ve got that focus area, and they’re putting that as a priority.”
The team is working on prevention and exploring long-term solutions.
“Success for us ... will look like stopping recidivist offending,” Ghodke says.
“How can I make someone stop offending again when they come out of prison?
“Putting supports and mechanisms in place ... and that is not the onus on police alone, but that will be our partner agencies, like Corrections, mental health, Ministry of Social Development, addiction services, all of them to come on board to put those measures in place.”