An off-duty police officer has been praised by residents after he captured incredible footage of the moment he foiled an alleged shoplifter trying to steal meat from a supermarket.
The off-duty detective arrested the man at 8:05 a.m. on July 9 at a Woolworths on Lincoln Road in Henderson in west Auckland, New Zealand.
The officer, who wished to remain anonymous, was on his way to work at the Henderson police station when he decided to get a bag of chips for another officer.
When he walked into the store, he saw a man in a hoodie walking out the wrong exit with a basket full of fruits and vegetables worth hundreds of dollars.
The alleged thief was confronted by the officer and camera footage captured the officer quickly grabbing the basket from the man’s hands.
The alleged robber was stunned as the officer, wearing a dark jacket and beige pants, calmly walked past him.
New Zealand police say they are investigating the incident.
“The police have now identified the perpetrator and we will soon talk to him about the theft,” said the spokesperson.
The alleged thief was confronted by the officer and CCTV footage captured the moment the officer quickly took the basket from the man (photo)
‘The police continue to hold shoplifters accountable on multiple fronts’.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted New Zealand police for further comment.
Footage of the clever manoeuvre was shared on Facebook, prompting hundreds of comments from social media users praising the officer.
‘Amazing how calm, fast and just business. Well done Detective!’ wrote one person.
“Oh how nice. Cool cop,” added another.
‘So good! Didn’t miss a moment,’ wrote a third.
The police officer saw the man, who was wearing a hoodie and shorts, when he walked out of the wrong exit of the store (photo)
Others said security in stores should be improved by providing more resources to security guards.
“Maybe there would be less theft in supermarkets if you actually gave security guards the authority to do their job,” one person wrote.
According to a 2023 crime survey conducted by Retail New Zealand, New Zealand retailers lost approximately $1.3 billion to retail crime.
The study found that 92 percent of retailers in the country have been victims of retail crime, costing businesses $2.56 billion annually.