File photo. Photo: 123RF
Police say they hope a new team targeting repeat shoplifters in several central and west Auckland suburbs will bring some assurances to frustrated retailers.
The team is looking at retail offending in the areas around Mount Roskill, Mount Albert, Avondale, Point Chevalier and Ponsonby.
RNZ has reported on Auckland supermarket staff who have been confronted with aggressive and armed shoplifters - including ones who bring in knives and machetes.
In recent months, there's been controversy over a police directive to staff saying it will no longer be investigating allegations of shoplifting below $500, which was later canned and criticised by the Police Commissioner as "confusing and unhelpful".
Auckland City West Area Prevention Manager, Inspector Wayne Kitcher, told Morning Report that the new initiative has been successful in its first week - where a couple were charged with stealing more than $250,000 worth of goods.
"This is a dedicated team that is solely looking at recidivist retail offenders, and I absolutely appreciate that the retailers out there are very are frustrated with how things are going," he said.
"And this is our response to hopefully make them feel a bit better, and know that we are actually targeting these people."
He said staff on the team would be looking at CCTV footage after reports of shoplifting.
Kitcher said usually the offenders would already be known to police and could be tracked down "relatively quickly".
When asked by Morning Report whether some officers on this team would be at supermarkets, Kitcher said this team is specifically responding to following up with offending reported.
Kitcher was unable to say whether the initiative will be rolled out across wider Auckland or other centres.
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