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Ram Raid 2 : Sword, watches and jewellery stolen as five-car ram-raid mall hit again
Te Aorewa Rolleston
September 6, 2023
A Thames shopping mall which was the victim of a five-car ram-raid resembling a “movie set” has been targeted for a second time, and the robbers escaped with jewellery, watches and a large sword.
The raid comes amid slowing trading as retailers said consumers are tightening their belts.
Police received a report of a ram-raid at the Goldfields Mall on Mary street in Thames at about 3am on Tuesday, and a vehicle used in the incident was found abandoned at the scene.
Inquiries were under way to identify and locate the offenders.
The second looting comes two months after five vehicles barged their way through the large glass entrance doors at the shopping centre, ransacking multiple stores including a vape shop and the warehouse.
The lone victim of Tuesday morning’s “targeted” break-in was Boots N All, owned by James O’Grady.
O’Grady featured in Waikato Times coverage following the first ram-raid on July 6 but this time round, the thieves barged into his store, stealing TimeX watches, jewellery and a katana sword.
Deflated but relieved that no one was injured during the incident, O’Grady arrived to find the store, which he’s manned for 28 years, in a shambles.
It was “shocking”, he said, with CCTV footage showing two “hoodied up” individuals wearing gloves using a “big steel bench” from the shopping centre to bash their way through the metal roller door.
“They destroyed the roller doors... luckily they didn’t get any money because it was pitch black... I feel sick to my stomach,” O’Grady said.
“It makes you want to close ... Business has dropped off since the first ram-raid because people are scared.”
Police are investigating.
“Police have confirmed the car left at the shopping centre had earlier been stolen.”
The thieves had attempted to enter the store using the stolen vehicle but faced with new bollards, turned to ramming their way into the side of the entranceway.
It was debilitating for shop owners and the community O’Grady said. A town like Thames didn’t deserve it when business wasn’t exactly “booming”.
He was contacting his insurance company, but at first glance there appeared to be around $15,000 to $20,000 worth of stock taken.
“It was within a few weeks that we put the bollards in on the back of the last ram-raid,” said mall manager John Freer.
Freer was back at the complex this morning to examine the damage. They had taken all the steps necessary to try and deter attacks, from alarms to bollards and a security guard.
“It’s frustrating for everybody... Things are so very tough in our region at the moment so to lose half a day of trading is significant.”
“There were two of them...dressed in dark clothing and balaclavas protecting their identity.”
Thames Coromandel District Councillor Robyn Sinclair said it was obvious that these break-ins were not subtle and the destruction was “devastating”.
The merciless crime does take a toll on the community and businesses, Sinclair said, given the “really tough years” it had faced from the pandemic, to a soggy, wet summer where it rained bucketloads, followed by Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle.
The tight-knit community would recover but to those responsible, her message was “find a better hobby”.
“We’ve had enough, we just want a break...we don’t want this in our town.
“The good does outweigh the bad in this place.”