Police have arrested two women after what they termed “a brazen theft” using the fire alarm at Mitre 10 Westgate.

Inspector Jason Edwards, relieving area commander for Waitematā West, said this followed an event at Northside Dr on Sunday, January 21.

The Herald reported last month how two thieves allegedly stole from one of New Zealand’s largest Mitre 10 Mega stores using a method which left the boss expressing shock.

Dave Hargreaves, owner-operator of Mitre 10 Mega stores at Westgate and Henderson, said the pair had allegedly stolen goods from one of his stores.

“On Sunday afternoon, we had a fire evacuation in our Westgate Mitre 10 Mega. The team and customers did a great job evacuating and assembling in the car park. The response from our local West Harbour fire station was amazing and the store was attended by two crews and fire tenders,” Hargreaves wrote on LinkedIn.

But the fire crew soon established it was a false alarm. A customer set off one of the fire buttons in the store, Hargreaves said.

Today, Inspector Edwards gave more details.

“Police allege two people entered the premises, picking up several items, before intentionally setting off the fire alarm and exiting the address with those items,” he said.

Police have since reviewed several hours of CCTV footage to identify people believed to be involved.

“The women, aged 42 and 43, are due to appear in the Waitākere District Court tomorrow,” he said.

“They have been charged with multiple counts of shoplifting, as well as the charge of giving false alarm of fire.”

A 35-year-old male currently remanded in custody on unrelated matters has also been charged in relation to this incident.

“It is a serious offence to knowingly give false alarm of a fire, and to use it as a distraction to allegedly take items from a business is concerning,” Edwards added.

“We thank those who were impacted on the day for their patience and hope these arrests bring reassurance to those who were there. I would also like to commend our staff for their work in identifying the alleged offenders and holding them to account,” Edwards said.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.