Ram raiders crashed a stolen car into two luxury Auckland shops in Queen Street.
A Gucci store is boarded up after the ram raid early on Monday morning. Photo: RNZ / Jonty Dine
Staff at Gucci are cleaning up glass and debris, and Louis Vuitton was also hit.
Police said the vehicle was smashed into the stores in the early hours of Monday morning.
A stolen vehicle was found at the scene and a second was located nearby, police said.
They are looking at CCTV footage and asking for anyone with information to come forward.
Call for police station in CBD
Auckland city advocacy group Heart of the City said a police station in the central city was sorely needed and would reduce crime.
Heart of the City also believes crime in the central city needs to be addressed by other agencies, including the Ministry of Social Development.
Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck, who is also running for Auckland mayor, said there had been a growth in crime during the pandemic which was concerning and it was hard on retail staff when it resulted in the likes of ram raids.
She told Midday Report that pressing issues included the under-resourcing of police staff as well as the need for better management of emergency housing.
"There's a changing dynamic that we've seen through Covid that we want to see really clear action on so that it doesn't become entrenched because as we come out of Covid, we really need to see a strong recovery and we certainly don't want people to think this is an unsafe place."
Data has been compiled making the case for more police in the central city. It has been presented to the police minister and they awaiting a response.
A priority should be re-establishing downtown police station, she said.
"People generally feel safer when there are police out in the street ... the reality is crime and illegal behaviour need to be dealt with."
