Workers at Westfield Riccarton say cars are being stolen from their staff car park almost every week, with mounting frustration over what they believe is a lack of action by mall management.

Staff said they raised concerns after the first thefts but were told having a dedicated security guard for their parking area was not a realistic option.

“At the very least, there needs to be some acknowledgement of the ongoing issue and a genuine effort to address it,” one worker said.

On Thursday, police responding to the theft of a staff member’s car discovered another vehicle was also missing, according to workers.

Two days later, another staff member’s car was struck as offenders attempted to steal a different vehicle.

Workers said about five cars were stolen from the car park a fortnight ago, while stolen vehicles had also been used to ram other parked cars.

Break ins, vandalism and graffiti had also become recurring problems in recent months.

Three workers who contacted chrislynchmedia.com have asked not to be identified.

One described the designated staff parking area on the top level as isolated and extremely quiet during the day, with little public activity or visible security.

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Staff had asked to park on the busier levels used by shoppers, but said they were still expected to leave their vehicles in the same secluded area.

“Our concern is not about having to pay for parking, but about having somewhere reasonably safe to leave our vehicles while we are at work,” the worker said.

While employees accepted that no car park could be completely protected from crime, they believed Westfield had a responsibility to take reasonable steps to improve security.

“Staff should not have to worry about whether their car will still be there when they finish work,” the worker said.

Westfield Riccarton’s parking terms say “you enter and use the car park at your own risk”.

Workers pay $5 a day for staff parking, while most surrounding streets have one or two hour restrictions, leaving employees with few practical alternatives.

Another worker said attempts to raise concerns with management had been frustrating.

“In my experience, responses have often been dismissive or unhelpful, with limited willingness to address the underlying issues,” the worker said.

Staff also raised concerns about parking enforcement, claiming some employees visiting the mall as shoppers on their days off had received parking notices despite staying within the four hours of free customer parking.

When they challenged the notices, workers said they were told they should have informed management before visiting the mall.

A third worker claimed management had stopped responding to colleagues who questioned parking charges they believed had been incorrectly issued.

Riccarton ward councillor Tyla Harrison-Hunt said he was concerned about reports of ongoing vehicle thefts at Westfield Riccarton, revealing his own family had experienced the problem.

“Sadly this isn’t unusual, my wife worked there more than ten years ago and she also has had her car stolen in the carpark. I haven’t had any direct reports from staff that have issues.”

Harrison-Hunt said residents had also raised concerns about boy racers and car meets on the upper parking levels, young people riding e-bikes through the mall and car park, and occasional aggressive behaviour inside the shopping centre and on Rotherham and Division streets.

He said he had developed a good relationship with Westfield management over his two terms as a councillor and believed improvements had been made, including additional security staff, specialised youth training and more frequent patrols of problem areas.

“There is always room for improvement and hopefully they address the concerns quickly, they need to ensure staff concerns are being listened to and actioned.”

Harrison-Hunt said residents in surrounding streets had also reported letterbox thefts and other petty crime.

“Police do frequent the area, but our community miss the neighbourhood cops, they were bloody good.”

He wanted to see a greater security presence across the wider Riccarton shopping precinct, similar to the approach used in central Christchurch.

“My dream would be to introduce security staff similar to what CCBA currently deliver, having some well-trained security staff walking the beat and helping with reporting incidents.”

“It’s all good having security in-house at Westfield but for the precinct to thrive, there needs to be more focus on finding better outcome-driven-solutions.”

Westfield Riccarton was approached for comment but did not respond.

Police have also been asked for comment.