Three girls steal from Napier dairy as older couple wait outside

Vigor Brown St Store on the corner of Latham St and Vigor Brown St in Napier, which was robbed yesterday. Photo/ Duncan Brown.

Three girls allegedly stole potato chips from Vigor Brown Street Dairy yesterday while an older couple with a baby waited outside of the store.

Dairy owner Zan Li was "extremely surprised" and "really disappointed" by the incident as he believed the three young women were with their parents or caregivers.

"It is very common for young people to try and steal but I can't believe these people would do this in front of a baby."

"The couple were older than 18 so they know what is wrong and what is right and children often follow their parents' actions. It's not a good thing to show your kids, you're teaching them to steal."

Mr Li said the three girls entered the dairy at about 12.50pm yesterday after standing outside for a couple of minutes.

He said when they came in they picked up two packets of potato chips and a drink before waiting inside for another customer to enter the store.

"They were looking outside and talking to the older couple who were waiting by the door and I think I heard them say something like 'are we going to run now'."

About three minutes later Mr Li said another customer came into the store and asked him for cigarettes and as soon as he communicated with the customer, the group ran.

"They ran away down towards Georges Drive and I have looked at the CCTV footage and I think it is so wrong that they were with who I think was their parents and a little baby. It makes me angry."

A police spokesperson said officers received the call at about 1pm and were making enquiries into the theft.

Just last week, mother-of-three Sehelasa Valenitaine Moala was jailed for two years and eight months after robbing the Windsor Park Store back in March with another woman.

She was charged with aggravated robbery, as well as four counts of shoplifting and one each of theft and using a document to obtain a pecuniary advantage. Approximately $4500 worth of cigarettes were stolen and $3800 worth of damage done.