Ram raid at Spark store overnight in Tauranga

The Spark Digital store on Devonport Rd was ram-raided last night. Photo/GoogleMaps

A car has smashed through the Spark Digital building in Tauranga overnight and several mobile devices were stolen.

Police were called at 4.15 this morning after a ram-raid on the Spark store on Devonport Rd.

Glass and debris were littered everywhere after the car bashed through the front door to gain access to the inside.

As all the devices have now been black listed, they might as well have stolen some paper weights, as that's all they're good for now.

Grant McBeath

A police spokeswoman said a forensic examination was under way at the scene and police were investigating.

A Spark staff member said the store was closed today but would reopen tomorrow.

All the stolen devices have been blacklisted following the theft, which meant they would not work on any New Zealand mobile network.

Grant McBeath, general manager of customer channels for Spark Home, Mobile and Business, said Spark was disappointed with the attack and considerable damage had been caused.

"It's also a really pointless theft. As all the devices have now been blacklisted, they might as well have stolen some paper weights, as that's all they're good for now.

"To be honest, they won't even make good paperweights as our devices are so light these days," he said.

Mr McBeath said it was a shame the burglars put themselves at risk, driving high speed into glass windows for nothing.

"We'd advise people to be careful when buying a second-hand phone. You can always check whether a phone has been blacklisted following a theft by checking its unique IMEI number on the Telecommunications Forum's website. If you do find a stolen phone, please hand it to the police."

Spark is reviewing the CCTV footage from cameras within store and is co-operating with the police in their investigation.