Police are searching for a group of five people following a smash-and-grab in west Auckland on Sunday.
Shoppers were locked inside stores of Westgate's NorthWest Shopping Centre, after the offenders smashed cabinets inside Michael Hill and fled with a large amount of jewellery.
"Police are in attendance at a shopping centre on Fred Taylor Drive in west Auckland, after receiving reports of an aggravated robbery at the centre at 3:45pm," a police spokesperson told Newshub.
"Five offenders entered the shopping centre and smashed cabinets at a jewellery store, taking a number of items before fleeing in a vehicle that police located, abandoned, in Regents Park a short time later."
The offenders then left in a second vehicle, which police are working to locate.
"At this time no injuries are reported. Enquiries are ongoing to locate the offenders and the stolen items."
One man inside Specsavers at the time, at the opposite end of the mall, told Newshub he was locked inside the store.
He said "everyone inside was panicking" after initially thinking there was a gunman in the mall.
It comes after police announced they have ramped up their presence at shopping malls across the city amid a spate of jewellery store robberies.
A Newmarket jewellery store was robbed last week, following a ram-raid in Newmarket on April 12, an aggravated burglary at St Lukes on April 14 and an aggravated robbery in Onehunga on April 18.
"Auckland Police recently launched Operation Dusk, dedicated to investigating recent offending at jewellery stores," the spokesperson said.
"The Operation Dusk team will review and assess whether this incident is associated with previous robberies of jewellery stores in the Auckland City area, as part of the ongoing effort to locate the offenders and hold them to account."
Anyone who has phone footage of Sunday's robbery or information that would assist with enquiries is urged to call 105 or report online at 105.police.govt.nz clicking “Update Report” and referencing file number 240412/0735
Alternatively, people can call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
