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May 09, 2023

Video captures staff fighting back against Papakura supermarket thieves

Share this article Shocking video from a South Auckland supermarket shows staff

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Shocking video from a South Auckland supermarket shows staff fighting back after two thieves made a brazen attempt to steal a trolley full of groceries, with locals saying they are "sick" of the trend.

Carlene Mataira recorded the video on Sunday morning at Countdown Papakura and says that she has witnessed similar offending the last two times she visited the store.

The dramatic clip shows two women attempting to leave the store with a trolley full of groceries, as two staff attempt to wrestle it back.

One staff member's efforts see him gripping a railing to brace against the two women's attempts to yank the trolley away, only for his grip to hold and the railing come free.

The women threaten violence against the staff and tell them they were "not allowed to touch" them.

One staff member eventually tips the trolley to the ground, leaving the women to snatch some items from the floor and beat a hasty retreat, with one appearing to suffer a wardrobe malfunction.

"I’m sick of it, it's happening way too much, especially in Papakura," Mataira told the Herald.

"I hurt for the staff that have to put up with this."

She said that while the economy was tough, it was tough on everyone and labelled the women as "entitled" and their actions as "disgusting".

"How disgusting that you think it's ok to do this," she wrote online.

"How disgusting that you think the staff go to work daily to put up with your damn s***!"

She applauded the actions of the staff and told the thieves to "pull ya damn pants up!!!".

Others in the community echoed Mataira's comments, with one writing that the thieves were "absolute scum" whose actions would lead others to be unfairly racially profiled.

Another suggested that the ongoing trend hurts all consumers.

"Our costs keep rising because of these thieving low-life's. Who do you think pays for every stolen item, every injured employee, every rammed store?" they asked.

The Herald has contacted police and Countdown for comment.

Papakura is far from alone in suffering from this kind of crime, with similar offending occurring across the motu.

Members of the public have also become involved, with one incident in Greenlane last year seeing another customer trying to grab the trolley to stop the thieves.

"I have never seen food go so fast from a trolley into the back of a car... It was absolutely orchestrated so this definitely isn't their first time," the have-a-go hero told the Herald at the time.

"I had to back out when I did as I am only 10 weeks post spinal surgery," she said.

But in that case, the thieves didn't get far when their car broke down on the motorway shortly after - leading to their arrest.

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