The Takanini Town Centre in Auckland has been targeted by ramraiders.
The Bottle-O store was rammed by a car at about 2am with its owner saying they had spent $10,000 replacing the security grill only two weeks ago after another ram raid. Photo: RNZ / Mohammad Alafeshat
Staff say one car rammed a Vodafone store and the neighbouring Bottle-O in Walters Road about 2am on Tuesday.
A Vodafone staff member said "if it can happen early in the morning it can happen in the day time as well... so yeah we are very scared now."
The owner of the Bottle-O store said they replaced the security grill two weeks ago following another ram raid, costing $10,000.
That grill will have to be replaced again, costing him another $10,000.
"Most of the damage comes from the front structure, that's just the roller there inside which I replaced two weeks ago. That's another $10,000 that I have to spend again."
A Vodafone store was also targeted. Photo: RNZ / Mohammad Alafeshat
Police confirmed that two people have been arrested.
"Three males were located a short time later at a Clendon Park address," police said.
"Three males were located nearby and two were taken into custody as they had existing warrants to arrest."
The landlord of the Town Centre, Bruce Wallace, said the shopping complex has been ram raided eight times in as many weeks.
Wallace said the centre is eight years old.
"We've never ever had anything like this before. It's an award winning centre from an architectural and design point of view.
"We've just never seen it at this level whatsoever and I don't know what more we can do as landlords. It's costing us a fortune and it's not about just the costs; it's the disruptions, it's the stress and it damages the community. You know that's the big thing - we're trying to lift South Auckland and provide something of a high level."
It comes after four people were arrested on Monday morning following the burglary of Silverdale's Noel Leeming.
A Kingsland dairy was also ram raided on Monday morning.
