Doughnut shop shuts down after back-to-back break-ins

A Wellington doughnut shop is closing less than a year since opening, after back-to-back break-ins.

The Daily Glaze in Lower Hutt shut its doors three days ago.

Owner Nic Bain said it has been "absolutely gutting" to have been targeted twice within three weeks. She said she had "poured [her] heart and soul into" the family business she runs with her son Toby.

The store in Lower Hutt.

Photo: RNZ / Baz Macdonald

Thieves hit the store on 18 May and then again on 8 June.

The first time, the till was stolen, then later found smashed to pieces in a nearby loading bay. It had only a small amount of float in it. The second time, an Uber Eats tablet was stolen.

CCTV footage of The Daily Graze being broken into.

Photo: Supplied

"The break-ins have probably been the straw that broke the camel's back. Unfortunately, it's been a combination of challenges, especially with everything going on around the world with supply chain issues and costs increasing.

She said small businesses with such thin margins can be heavily impacted by even a single incident. She said she could not afford to keep replacing stolen goods and repairing damage.

Bain worried about thieves targeting the store while her teenager was working alone. "And that's really daunting, you know." With the shop closing, 17-year-old Toby Chamley has been left without a job.

Toby Chamley and Nic Bain, staff of Lower Hutt business The Daily Glaze

Photo: RNZ / Baz Macdonald

Bain said other businesses in the area have suffered from retail crime, and others might be deterred from opening.

"We've already got quite a few vacant shops around the area. People are going to look at that and go: 'well, maybe that's not a safe space to open'; or other people may run into issues because we are now out of their line of target with closing down. It's going to prompt them to move on to somewhere else and potentially target somebody else."

She added that she did not feel safe operating at the moment.

Police have a suspect on camera and are following leads. Bain said the police had been "fantastic".

Inspector Wade Jennings, the area commander at Hutt Valley Police, said it was not common for a shop to be targeted multiple times in such a short time frame.

He said retail crime worried the local community because of how visible it was, and retailers should be able to feel safe at their workplaces,

"We see a number of reasons for retail crime here in the Hutt Valley. People who are struggling financially, people who have addictions, people who are connected to organised crime, and those in the unhoused communities. "

Inspector Wade Jennings.

Photo: RNZ / Baz Macdonald

A retail crime taskforce was started in September and offending rates had dropped since then. But he stressed that the police's role was enforcement, which would not by itself solve thefts.

"You won't arrest your way out of retail crime."

He said there needed to be a wider collaboration between the community, police and local government to prevent crime. He advised shopkeepers to report any incidents and not to put themselves in harm's way.

"Nothing that's getting stolen from your store is worth your life or being seriously injured."

Licensed security technician and private investigator Jonathon Gilbert has been part of the Hutt Valley Security Notice Board for eight years. Part of the Security Notice Board Charitable Trust, the organisation manages CCTV networks and helps communities install additional CCTV and security systems.

"So if we can get that really good information, good footage, clear evidence of who they are, even if they don't get charged by the police, by the time their face is out there, businesses know who they are."

Photo: RNZ / Baz Macdonald

Gilbert said community backlash and awareness were a deterrent for would-be offenders, "So if you don't want to be judged by the community, don't do something that brings the attention to you for doing stupid things."

He said as retailers often had their own cameras, "the community are doing it themselves ultimately". The Daily Glaze was able to give its own CCTV footage of both incidents to the police.

Photo: RNZ / Baz Macdonald

Lower Hutt Mayor Ken Laban said the number of theft, burglary and robbery offences had fallen between February and April, which he attributed to the community working together, the police and educational programmes.

"Having said that, we can't be naive as well. A lot of families are struggling with poverty, cost of living, and the impact of those societal factors on people's ability to live a life, live a good and independent life, should I say.

"So whilst the numbers on paper are positive, the challenges is to work together as a community to actively engage in creating an environment that's more law abiding and more conducive for people to live a good life."

He praised the work of non-governmental organisations such as Vibe or Youth Inspire in uplifting the community.

Laban said setting up communities for the future started with teaching young people how to live a good life, especially through programmes to keep them in the arts, sport and education.

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