Hapless ram-raider leaves watch, one Croc and 'plenty of blood' at Waipapa crime scene

An officer gathers forensic evidence at the crime scene at Liquor World Waipapa on Tuesday morning. Photo / Peter de Graaf

A determined but incompetent ram-raider left a trail of destruction - as well as his watch, one Croc and a large volume of blood - during a night-long crime spree around Waipapa.

The worst of the damage occurred at Liquor World Waipapa where the offender first tried to smash his way in through windows at the front of the store about 10.30pm on Monday, triggering a security alarm.

Co-owner Brad Sissons said the store had been targeted three times previously but the thieves usually left as soon as the alarm sounded. This one, however, was in no hurry.

A security firm was alerted instantly and Sissons was able to check the store cameras from home, which showed a man trying to get inside.

While Sissons and his wife jumped into a car and headed for Waipapa, the offender switched his attention to the side of the shop where he smashed a third window and jemmied another until it broke.

"Then he did his best to kick in the roller door but it's pretty secure. It's got three locks and he couldn't get in."

The man then got into a car - a hybrid stolen earlier in the day - which was small enough to drive between bollards at the front and ram the side roller door twice.

He then backed the car out and had another go at kicking the roller door, creating a gap just big enough to get inside.

The man tried but failed to get into the cigarette cabinet so instead made several trips between the shop and the car with alcohol, vapes and cigarette lighters.

There was no cash on the premises, Sissons said.

Contractors work to secure Liquor World Waipapa after a ram-raid attempt on Monday night. Photo / Peter de Graaf

When the couple arrived the man was still in the store and the car was outside with the engine running.

"He came out, we confronted him, he showed my wife a knife he had in his bumbag, then he returned to the car, grabbed a box of vapes and tried to run off. We gave chase and he dropped the box."

While the offender made "a pretty good mess inside", he was thought to have left empty-handed, Sissons said.

The offender left behind a watch, a Croc and a significant volume of blood. Photo / Supplied

He also left his watch and an item of footwear, fleeing on foot wearing only one Croc. Other evidence he left behind included "plenty of blood".

The same offender is then believed to have targeted the nearby Four Square and a car dealer's yard. A car was stolen in the area around 5.30am.

Sissons hoped the store would reopen today.

While the business was insured he would still have to fork out for the excess and extra on-site security, and would lose his no-claims bonus. The building owner faced the expense of putting in another bollard.

"Plus every day you close is a hit to your business," he said.

A police spokesperson said a vehicle was used to gain entry to a store on Klinac Lane, Waipapa, at 10.38pm on Monday. The offender fled the area on foot.

"At this stage, our enquiries into the incident remain ongoing, which includes establishing whether a separate incident at a nearby address is linked to this burglary," the police spokesperson said.

Police enquiries into the incident remain ongoing. Photo / Peter de Graaf

New Zealand, Northland included, has been grappling with a wave of ram-raids this year, many of them carried out by juveniles targeting cigarettes or jewellery.

The social media platform TikTok, which some offenders use to share video footage of their crimes and encourage others, is thought to be one of the factors behind the surge.

June was particularly bad in Whangārei with ram-raid targets including outdoor stores Kathmandu and Torpedo7, Liquorland, and Graeme Johnson Jewels and Time in Kamo.

Those incidents, along with a daytime brawl on Walton St, prompted business lobby group NorthChamber to call on Whangārei District Council to introduce a targeted rate to pay for increased security in the city.

Ram-raids have been less frequent in the Far North and Kaipara but include incidents at a Kerikeri bakery and a service station in Taipā.

In May the Government announced a $6 million support package to help shop owners pay for bollards or other security measures such as fog cannons, security screens and alarms.

Despite the surge in ram-raids by young offenders - and their increasingly brazen nature - overall youth offending in New Zealand has dropped by more than 60 per cent since 2010, according to a Youth Justice Indicators Summary Report released in January.

• Anyone with CCTV footage or information about the Waipapa ram-raid should call police on 105 phone or go to www.police.govt.nz/use-105, quoting file number 220823/1112. Information can also be passed anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.