Teachers get set to strike, heartbroken family of cyclone victim desperate for answers and why the country could already be in recession in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald
A brazen smash and grab raid has left a stressed beauty shop owner facing a five-figure repair bill after thieves busted a glass door and cabinets to steal expensive hair equipment.
“It is at least $20,000 worth of damage,” Newmarket’s The Beauty Store owner Steve Wilkins told the Herald.
He said the overnight burglary had left the entrance to his Broadway store showered in glass with a glass door destroyed to gain entry. Cabinets containing electronic hair-styling tools were also left in ruins.
“This is heartbreaking. One of my staff is terrified, she is shaken,” he said.
The Beauty Store in Newmarket targeted in a smash and grab style burglary in the early hours of this morning. Photo / Supplied
The offenders had broken the front door of the shop stealing expensive hair dryers, straighteners and products, Wilkins said.
“They left blood. It appears they have cut themselves because of the glass. Police have taken the DNA and fingerprints.”
He said the cost of repairing the damage along with lost sales was an expense he could ill afford following the downturn in business since the pandemic.
The store was also located in an area of the shopping strip where there was not much foot traffic.
Speaking about rising retail crime in the country, Wilkins said this was not new and one of their other branches had been targeted in a similar burglary some time ago.
“This is a serious issue it has been for months, and the government continues to ignore it.”
Wilkins said ACT party leader David Seymour had come to visit him at the store after the incident.
A police spokesperson said officers were investigating a burglary of a commercial address in Newmarket that occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“The incident occurred on Broadway and anyone with footage or information that may assist is asked to contact Police via our 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report. Please reference file number 230316/8016.
“Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.”
A shattered glass front door of The Beauty Store Newmarket after a burglary today. Photo / Supplied
National Party police spokesman Mark Mitchell released figures at the weekend showing retail crime had increased by 39 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021.
There were 292 retail crime incidents every day in 2022, up from 140 per day in 2018.
A regional breakdown showed eight out of twelve policing districts reported at least a 100 per cent increase in retail crime incidents since 2018.
In Canterbury, retail crime was up 53 per cent in 2022, while in Counties Manukau it was up 63 per cent.
“Unlike Labour, National has a plan to restore law and order,” Mitchell said.
“Unless the Government gets serious about fighting crime and cracking down on this offending, criminals will continue to feel like they can operate with impunity, putting Kiwi lives and businesses at risk.”
Hipkins today said the number of ram raids had decreased but admitted there was still work to do with reducing aggravated robberies.
Thieves emptied cabinets, stealing expensive products including hair straighteners, dryers and shampoo. Photo / Supplied
There was a 400 per cent increase in ram raids in five years, while 76 per cent of those being caught were under the age of 18, RNZ reported in July last year at the height of the problem.
“We’ve got quite a lot of investment rolling out in fog cannons and those other preventative measures that we know will make a difference,” Hipkins said.
Hipkins said there were now 1700 more police on the streets, increasing to 1800 by the middle of the year.
“I know the police have been really proactively targeting this area of crime because no one wants to see businesses experience the level of victimisation.”
The data shows a large increase in reporting of retail crime through the software Auror.
This programme was introduced in 2015 to make it easier for retail chain stores, supermarkets and petrol stations to report shoplifting and theft to police, particularly for goods less than $500 in value.
In 2017, 15 per cent of retail crime was reported through Auror. This had increased to 65 per cent by 2022.
Police have previously said the increase in reports of retail crime is largely due to better reporting and recording methods.
This followed a 2017 Retail NZ survey that found close to 70 per cent of retail crime was not being reported.
