Violent “smash and grab” style robberies at petrol stations have tripled in the last three years, according to police statistics.
The figures provided to 1News showed the number of aggravated robberies at service stations were, during the months of January to May:
2022: 21
2023: 41
2024: 60
Among them, in April this year, police responded to a robbery at a service station on Whatawhata Rd in Dinsdale shortly after 1pm, in which five masked offenders stole cash and cigarettes before fleeing police.
Inspector Andrea McBeth said several people were in the store at the time of the robbery, including a child, and officers responded following a call from an employee in a safe room.
Employee says robbers ‘have no fear’
Ghouse Majeed, 55, was left with internal injuries following a separate aggravated robbery at the petrol station where he worked on Cavendish Drive in Auckland’s Papatoetoe earlier this year.
Police crime stats have revealed a near tripling of violent smash-and-grab incidents at petrol stations since 2022. (Source: 1News)
“They started hitting me, pushing, and asking me to open the till and cigarette counter.
“Then they hit me with their legs and hands and [on the] right side [of my] ribs… then with great difficulty I pushed them out, locked the door and called the police.”
Majeed said he didn’t believe offenders would stop in the future as they “don’t have the fear of the consequences”.
“Nothing is going to happen to them… that’s the reason they keep doing it because they don’t have the fear of the consequence of the crime [and] they don’t know the seriousness of the crime.”
The Motor Trade Association recently released a position statement on service station crime along with a 10-point action plan to address the issue that it said “threatens thousands of hard-working Kiwis and costs millions of dollars”.
MTA: ‘We want more police on the streets’
Motor Trade Association chief executive Lee Marshall said the environment for retailers had “changed quite a bit” over the last few years as the frequency of crime increased. The association wanted more action to tackle the problem.
“We’d like to see more police on the streets, more patrols going around petrol stations in the evening. We know that makes a difference,” he said.
Marshall said the MTA wanted remorse discounts to be removed for offenders who posted their crimes on social media afterwards, often glorifying the offending on platforms such as TikTok.
“From our perspective, it’s just unacceptable that, number one, you can commit a crime. Number two, you can glorify it on social media. And then, number three, you can get a sentencing discount if you get caught for saying that you’re sorry.”
Minister says work is being done on punishments to fit the crimes
Police Minister Mark Mitchell acknowledged service stations were a target for aggravated robberies.
“When we have a series of service stations that have been attacked through an aggravated robbery or ram raid, police do actually put extra staff on. They do high visibility, reassurance-type patrols to try and allow, especially the staff, some sense that they’re there and they’re more visible,” he said.
Mitchell agreed the visibility of police made a big difference, and said the Government was working to ensure punishments reflected the “seriousness” of crimes.
“We’re also doing a lot of work around making sure we cap discounts so that the seriousness of the offending is captured in the sentence,” he said.
