National MP Mark Mitchell says he rushed to Westfield Albany mall to pick up a terrified relative after a masked group robbed a jewellery store in front of families and evening shoppers. Mitchell, a former police officer in the Armed Offenders Squad, said he was at friend's 50th party when he got a "panicked" call from a relative at the mall while the robbery was taking place. "This is a continuation of the violent offending we are seeing, especially in Auckland, the Waikato and Bay of Plenty." Earlier this week, police arrested 14 young people after a spate of commercial aggravated robberies in Auckland and Waikato. Auckland City police arrested six people after an aggravated robbery at St Lukes Mall last week.

Source: New Zealand Herald October 01, 2022 01:37 UTC