Charity box stolen twice in a week amidst spate of thefts around Wellington

An ambulance donation box has been stolen twice from the same store amidst a spate of charity box thefts around Wellington.

Police are looking for a man who grabbed the ambulance charity box and fled with it after pretending to put a donation in it.

The incident happened on New Year's Day about 12.30pm at New World Newlands.

The box was stolen again on January 6, this time allegedly by a young woman who came into the store, took the box and ran away.

The young woman was identified through CCTV images shared online on January 12, and was arrested.

The 17-year-old has been charged with burglary and is before Porirua District Court.

There have been eight charity box thefts in the Wellington area in the past month, prompting police to put out a warning to retailers.

"A number of extremely unscrupulous offenders are entering retail premises and snatching the charity boxes as they exit," a post on the Wellington District Police Facebook page said.

While retailers were limited as to where they could place the charity box while still making sure it was visible to customers who wanted to donate, they should try to secure the box to a fixed surface, the post said.

They should also avoid using boxes or containers with removable lids, and make staff aware of where the boxes are, aiming to have them in direct view of staff and CCTV.

"If you are the victim of this type of offending, please contact police immediately."