The second person made off with three bottles of gin before workers could stop him.

Police confirmed the shoplifting had been reported about 4pm, saying one man had stolen alcohol and left the area.

“An associate of this man was still inside the store at the time. Alongside other demands, police have attended this evening to conduct further inquiries,” the spokesman said.

However the police response time has left Mittal fuming.

“My issue is that the cops’ response time is absolutely atrocious,” he said.

“And now we’ve been told that we’re not even allowed to keep him or hold him because he didn’t steal, because he didn’t walk out with anything.”

He said the 111 dispatchers had told him police were busy attending other incidents. Mittal believed this was “ridiculous” and questioned what level of offending police would prioritise.

“Does somebody have to be dying for anybody to respond quickly these days?” Mittal said.

The spokesman said they were making follow-up inquiries into the shoplifting, and said officers had arrested the man held by the shop’s employees for an unrelated warrant matter.

Police would continue trying to identify and find the outstanding offender.

The spokesman said people should phone police immediately in similar incidents.

“Our priority is safety and we encourage anyone in these circumstances to contact police immediately,” they said.

A Christchurch business owner and tradies who performed a citizen’s arrest, tackling a thief to the ground after he allegedly stole motorcycle parts last June, were equally as disappointed at the police response after being told to “let him go”.

Christchurch Metro Area Commander Superintendent Lane Todd said police couldn’t attend every callout “due to the nature of police work”.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.