An off-duty police officer has won praise from residents after incredible footage captured the moment he foiled an alleged thief’s attempt to steal meat from a supermarket.
The off-duty detective sergeant stopped the man at a Woolworths on Lincoln Road in Henderson, West Auckland, New Zealand, at 8.05am on July 9.
The officer, who did not want to reveal his name, was on his way to work at the Henderson police station when he decided to grab a bag of chips for another officer.
When he entered the store, he saw a man wearing a hoodie walking out the wrong exit with a basket full of hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise.
The alleged thief was confronted by the police officer and CCTV footage captured the moment the officer quickly took the basket out of the man’s hand.
The alleged robber was stunned when the officer, wearing a dark coat and beige trousers, walked calmly past him.
New Zealand police said they are conducting investigations into the incident.
“The police have already identified the attacker and we will soon speak to him about the robbery,” they said.
The alleged thief was confronted by the police officer and CCTV footage captured the moment the officer quickly took the basket from the man (pictured)
‘Police continue to hold shoplifters accountable on multiple fronts.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted New Zealand police for further comment.
Footage of the cop’s skillful move was shared on Facebook and attracted hundreds of comments from viewers praising the officer.
“I love how smooth, quick and easy it is. Well done Detective!” wrote one.
“I love this. He’s a cool cop,” another added.
“So cool! I didn’t miss a second,” wrote a third.
The police officer saw the man, who was wearing a hoodie and a pair of shorts, as he left through the wrong exit of the store (pictured).
Others said security at retail stores should be increased by giving more resources to security guards.
“Maybe there would be less theft in supermarkets if they gave security guards the power to do their job,” one person wrote.
New Zealand retailers have lost around $1.3 billion to retail crime according to a 2023 Retail New Zealand crime survey.
The survey found that 92 percent of retailers nationwide have been victims of retail crime, which costs businesses $2.56 billion each year.