Auckland robbers target victims for takeaway food and Daily Bread van in St Heliers

Three violent robberies specifically targeting food in Auckland have led to community leaders expressing their concerns about “desperate people” and calling for a greater police presence.

A man was attacked for his burger meal and another man for his takeaway in two separate incidents last Friday, while a bread van was also targeted on Sunday.

In a third incident, a visitor to Auckland suffered a broken jaw after he was attacked while collecting his Uber Eats meal outside a hotel in central Auckland.

Police told the Herald two people had been arrested and had appeared in court, but they are not aware of a growing trend of takeaway delivery drivers or customers being targeted.

However, about 8.15pm on Friday, a man in his 60s was attacked on Aitken Ave in Mission Bay by robbers who made off with his takeaways.

“I was walking my dog home and had just picked up a burger from BurgerFuel when I was attacked from behind, punched around the head and thrown to the ground,” he said.

“There was no talking, no demands, and the guys just ran off into a waiting car with my food.”

A man was assaulted at Sudima Hotel while collecting his Uber Eats order. Photo / Alex Burton

He realised the meal was the only thing missing when he reported the incident to the police and checked that his mobile phone and wallet were still with him.

The man has been living in Mission Bay for 38 years and never imagined something like that could happen.

“It all happened really fast and it seems that they were just targeting the food. Whether they are hungry, or using this as a practice for something more sinister in future, I don’t know.”

Half an hour later, another man was robbed of his takeaway dinner from Hobson Express Takeaway on Hobson St.

He had collected his food and was walking to his parked car when he was tripped by a man while another seized his dinner and ran off.

“I was stunned and for a while, I did not know what just happened,” said the man, who is in his 40s and did not want to be identified.

Other than feeling shocked, he said he wasn’t injured and didn’t make a police report.

The man contacted the Herald after reading an earlier report of a third violent incident where a person was assaulted and robbed after collecting his Uber Eats order outside Sudima Hotel on Nelson St.

Police said the robbery was one of a series of attacks that resulted in several people being assaulted.

In another incident, the owners of a St Heliers business said a delivery van dropping off baking goods was robbed right in front of them on Sunday.

The van for Daily Bread, a popular Auckland bakery chain, was parked outside the business with its boot open after 7am when a person in a hooded jumper grabbed several boxes, placed them in a waiting Range Rover and drove off.

“They were driving a black Range Rover. Why does a person driving that need to steal bread?” one of the business owners, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald.

A police spokeswoman said police were not aware of a growing trend of food deliveries or takeaways being targeted for crime.

“As such, we are not in a position to comment specifically on that, however, we encourage anyone who has concerns for their safety to contact police immediately on 111,” the spokeswoman said.

“Additionally, if you see anything out of the ordinary or have concerns for someone else’s safety, please don’t hesitate to contact police.”

Steve Armitage, CEO of Hospitality NZ. Photo / Michael Craig

Community leader and Buttabean Motivation charity boss Dave Letele said the rise in this type of crime directly correlates to the “increase in poor, desperate people”.

”If I had absolutely nothing, which I have had before, and I’m looking at my children and they’re looking up at me with starving eyes, I’d do anything,” Letele told the Herald.

His South Auckland food bank was targeted again by burglars last month, but they were unsuccessful due to an increase in security measures after it was hit last year when the robbers emptied out the freezers of meat, dairy and produce.

Letele said his food bank has been “inundated” with people needing help and he had to stop advertising his services. He said he has seen a “massive” spike in people through his doors in the last year.

“We just can’t meet demand,” Letele said.

In May of this year, it was revealed there had been a 165 per cent increase in the number of people receiving food support since 2020.

The New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), Aotearoa’s largest food support and distribution organisation, surveyed 51 of its registered food hubs about the state of food support.

The cost of living crisis was reported to be the number one reason for recipients seeking kai relief (88 per cent), closely followed by low individual/household income (70 per cent), and unemployment (65 per cent).

Supermarket giant Foodstuffs also recorded 3900 separate crime-related incidents in its stores, including assault and robbery, from the start of May to the end of July this year.

This was a 59 per cent increase year-on-year, up almost 19 per cent on the previous quarter.

Viv Beck, the chief executive of the Heart of the City, wants a greater police presence on the streets. Photo / File

Hospitality NZ chief executive Steve Armitage said takeaways remain an important part of the hospitality offering and “have been the lifeline of many businesses” over the past few years.

“While it is concerning to hear about these three cases, we have not received any new reports from our members to suggest that incidents such as this are becoming a widespread trend,” he said.

“We will closely monitor the situation but we don’t think these cases will drive customers away from ordering takeaways.”

Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck said having a safe city was vital and there was a need for stronger police presence.

“There has been just a 4 per cent increase in front-line police here in 16 years, which is way out of step with the growth of people living, working, studying and visiting here.

“We need police to be visible on our streets and the return of a downtown police station as both a deterrent and quick response to crime – as well as making it clear that crime and violence is absolutely unacceptable,” she said.

Lincoln Tan specialises in covering stories around diversity and immigration. He’s been a journalist at the Herald since 2006.