Hamilton Countdown security guard wrestles supermarket trolley from brazen thieves

A supermarket security guard is being hailed a hero after he wrestled a trolley full of goods being taken in a brazen robbery.

A video recorded on Tuesday evening shows a security guard at Dinsdale Countdown attempt to stop one woman making off with a trolley full of goods in front of onlookers.

A witness said the security stepped in front of the thief and said, “Are going to pay for that?” as she was leaving.

“She didn’t say anything and kept trying to push past him.”

The video then shows the security guard attempting to pull the trolley away from her while her friend confronts him.

However, the security guard eventually lets it go after pleas from onlookers, one who said “it’s not worth it”.

A security guard confronts a would-be shoplifter at a Countdown supermarket in Hamilton yesterday.

“The security guard did bloody well I thought,” said the witness.

“He didn’t touch the woman but he just held on to the trolley.”

Another onlooker told the security guard told that he should have let the trolley go because “I work at Countdown and you’re not allowed to stop these people.”

The video is now being shared online online with viewers praising the bravery of the security guard and questioning why supermarkets even hire security guards if they are not allowed to confront shoplifters.

Police said they received reports of shoplifting, at a store on Whatawhata Rd, where a person attempted to steal items in a trolley, around 7.40pm. They were stopped by security and left without the items.

A Countdown spokesperson said it didn’t comment on individual incidents.

Generally, however, the supermarket chain said it has noticed an increase in aggressive, threatening, and brazen behaviour in stores since the start of Covid-19.

“This is unacceptable and keeping our customers and team safe from violence and aggression is a key priority for our business. We are always reviewing our health and safety controls to ensure we’re doing everything we can to keep our stores safe,” the spokesperson said.

“We already have a number of different safety and security measures in place in our stores including specific team training for dealing with these types of situations, store design initiatives, push to talk radios and use of CCTV, and we’ll be rolling out more of these measures in the coming months.”

The incident comes as supermarkets sound the alarm over a spike in retail theft - with some even fitting bodycams on staff in response to the issue.

The witness said it was the first time she had seen a full trolley load of supermarket shopping being taken.

“It was just the way people behaved like this with a sense of entitlement of not paying for something and thinking they don’t have to pay for something.”