File photo. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is due to announce changes to citizen's arrest powers, with clearer rules aimed at helping retailers deal with shoplifting.
Goldsmith told Morning Report the government did not want "wild west vigilante-ism" but current laws were not working.
"The general direction is we need to have some better tools available to retailers dealing with people walking out of their shops without paying for things."
Many people would have witnessed supermarket staff being unable to stop someone walking out with a trolley full of goods that hadn't been paid for, he said.
"You can't carry on like that without undermining people's confidence in law and order."
Current rules were very limited - including only making a citizens arrest at night, he said. People were worried about getting into trouble if they tried stop someone leaving their shop or stealing something.
Under the Crimes Act 1961 anyone can make an arrest at night where there are reasonable grounds for believing a person is committing an offence. A warrantless arrest can be made if the offender is committing a crime for which the maximum punishment is at least three years imprisonment.
"The issue that we're trying to deal with is coming up with some clearer rules that enable people to defend their property and actually detain people for longer.
"We need a better solution."
There had been a decrease in ram raids but low-level repeat theft hadn't been effectively dealt with, he said.
Goldsmith said the advisory group on retail crime had come up with some "good suggestions" and there was "much more to come in this space".
Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen has criticised the government for paying the group's chair Sunny Kaushal $920 a day for his work.
'Grave concerns'
Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young was concerned about an escalation of violence and threats to staff.
Frontline retail workers were often young and in their first job and "don't go to work to do law enforcement", she told Morning Report.
"We have grave concerns about proposals to empower people to physically restrain or physically engage with people to stop them doing a crime, and the fact that could create more violence and people will get hurt.
"We know that in the past where people have chased after alleged offenders there have been deaths."
There may be an increase in weapons people bring as a result of knowing the could be challenged, she said.
Young, a member of the ministerial advisory group, said chair Sunny Kaushal supported an expansion of citizens' arrest powers, and some smaller retailers also backed the move.
However most Retail NZ members have said they wouldn't use the powers because they were concerned about staff safety, she said. They wanted to be able to approach someone who has allegedly offended, get goods back without any violent interaction, have them removed, and use tresspass laws and facial recognition so the person doesn't return.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
