In one robbery early on Monday, eight robbers stormed the counter of the Western Springs Caltex and chased the lone worker. Some of the assailants were armed with hammers.
Police are investigating five petrol station incidents since Sunday, including the armed robbery at Western Springs and another in Green Bay, along with burglaries of petrol stations in Papatoetoe, Glen Eden and Remuera, according to Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin.
No arrests have been made in relation to the petrol station robberies and burglaries. Police say at least some of them could be the work of the same offenders.
“As part of this we are investigating potential links between offenders involved in more than one of these offences,” Baldwin said.
“Our experience with these crime types is that generally offenders will be involved in more than one offence.”
On Thursday, police said they had conducted 94 “prevention visits” to petrol stations across Auckland overnight.
“From Warkworth in the north, to Tuakau and Mercer in the south, our frontline staff have prioritised visiting forecourts and providing reassurance to staff working,” Baldwin said.
“One man was arrested for an unrelated matter while our staff were at one of the forecourts.
“Early feedback has been positive, and we will continue to conduct these patrols as part of our deployment.”
