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Published: March 14, 2023, 7:53 p.m.

Police are investigating at least two burglaries in Auckland overnight - including at a large supermarket in the suburb of Lynfield.

Officers were called to Countdown Lynfield, on Hillsborough Rd, shortly before 1am after reports of a break-in.

\xa0\u201cA group of offenders have taken multiple items before fleeing from the scene in a vehicle,\u201d a police spokeswoman said.

\u201cPolice are following positive lines of inquiry to locate those responsible.\u201d

A staff member told the Herald they had looked at the security footage and said those involved were youth. There were up to nine people spotted on camera, the worker said.

Thieves smashed their way into the Countdown Lynfield supermarket, in Auckland, in the early hours of this morning. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Early this morning, police officers could be seen assessing the damage inside the supermarket.

Several windows - including at the entrance doors - had been smashed and glass littered the ground inside and outside.

It is not yet known exactly what was taken. But cigarette roller packets were spotted on the ground at one of the counters.

\u2018I don\u2019t want to do this job anymore\u2019

Police are also looking into a ram raid incident at a liquor store in Wairau Valley.

Authorities were called to the Harbour City Liquor Centre, on View Rd, about 2.30am after reports that a vehicle had been used to smash into the store.

Police were called to a reported ram-raid incident in Wairau Valley overnight. Photo Hayden Woodward

The shocked owner said at the scene: \u201cI honestly don\u2019t want to do this job anymore. This is my second ram raid.

\u201cAuckland has gone very, very bad.\u201d

Police said at this stage, their inquiries are ongoing and are working to determine who is responsible.

\u2018It starts with shoplifting...and before you know it, you\u2019re shipping meth\u2019 - Police Minister

Police Minister Stuart Nash spoke to Newstalk ZB\u2019s Mike Hosking this morning about crime in New Zealand - and specifically about gang activity.

He talked about retail crime as well, acknowledging that it was a big problem.

Police Minister Stuart Nash. Photo / NZME

\u201cIt all starts somewhere - it starts with shoplifting, starts with theft and then you end up in a gang and before you know it, you\u2019re shipping meth.

\xa0\u201cThat\u2019s not always the track...but it can be and so it\u2019s the reason why we\u2019re putting a whole lot of effort and resource into going after the gangs.\u201d

On gangs, Nash said: \u201cWe are going really, really hard against the gangs.

\u201cEvery single tool we can use, every man and every woman is going hard against the gangs because we do not want these people doing their dastardly crimes in our community.\u201d

He said the gangs were, by and large, responsible for the meth distribution in New Zealand - the reason they were going so hard against them, he reiterated.

Can you help? Anyone with information that can help Police with their investigations is urged to contact authorities immediately via 105 or CrimeStoppers Anonymous on 0800 555 111

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