Workers at a toy shop in an Auckland shopping mall targeted by robbers on Sunday have expressed concern about their safety following the incident.
Three people reportedly stole Lego sets worth about $2000 from the Toyworld store in Sylvia Park on Sunday evening.
Worker Tommer Hu was preparing to close the store shortly before 7pm when another worker set off the emergency alarm.
Hu witnessed three people grabbing expensive Lego sets and heading for the exit.
"It was like they were washing our walls," he said. "I've honestly never seen those shelves empty like that before ... not even during Christmas."
Hu said it appeared the trio had staked out the store in advance.
"They hit straight ... to that place," he said. "They were not even picking. They knew exactly what they wanted and where they were."
The trio pushed the other worker aside upon as they left the store and fled.
Toyworld in Sylvia Park. Photo: Supplied
Hu and his colleague recovered two Lego sets from the robbers but lost nine packages worth about $2000.
Hu chased them to a car before one of them flashed a "silver-looking thing" at him from a distance.
"I honestly didn't know if it was a knife or something, but I thought that was a threat that they had something with them, so I stopped chasing them."
Hu said shop staff regularly encountered shoplifting attempts, but the scale of the latest incident was the worst he had seen.
He said workers felt helpless that much could be done to stop the thefts.
"There's nothing we can do," he said. "There's nothing we as a business can even hope for."
Store owner Ying Liu said the robbers stole the most expensive Lego sets in the shop.
It was the third robbery she had experienced, although the store lost stock to shoplifting every month, Liu said.
Photo: Supplied
Liu believed the robbery must have been planned, as the trio knew exactly where the valuable items were displayed.
Liu's handbag containing cash was stolen from behind the counter in the store about two years ago.
She was thankful no one had been injured in a robbery to date.
She called for improved security in the mall.
"Sometimes I wonder why people like us who work very hard deserve such kind of things, but there aren't many consequences for people who get something for nothing," Liu said.
Jessa Maglinao, a worker at Toyworld who finished her shift earlier in the day, described the robbery as "terrifying".
She questioned whether New Zealand was safe.
"I [initially] felt safe ... but I don't know any more because the incident happened yesterday."
Police said they were investigating and called for people with information to contact them.
"There were no injuries, and the group fled the centre in a vehicle," Auckland City East Police senior sergeant Megan Dalton said. "Police enquiries are ongoing."
A spokesperson from Kiwi Property, owner of Sylvia Park, said it regularly reviewed security measures in collaboration with retailers to mitigate the risk of theft.
"Sylvia Park's security protocols include monitored CCTV, security alarms, body cameras and comprehensive staff procedures, all aimed at preventing crime and supporting the safety of tenants and visitors to the centre," the spokesperson said.