Security cameras have captured footage of a man breaking into a mini-mart and stealing cigarettes using a grinder. Video / Supplied

A burglar armed with an angle grinder has made off with almost $15,000 in cigarettes from an Auckland mini mart.

But the store's owner says he's more aggrieved that police didn't visit the store until eight hours later, which has left him fearing for his staff's safety.

A police spokesperson defended the response, saying priority must be given to urgent incidents.

The NZ Herald reported a sharp rise in violent crime in Auckland's city centre since March last year.

Yesterday's theft was from the Columbia Mini Mart on Whitaker Pl, Grafton, about 2am yesterday.

Security footage caught a man, a hoodie partially covering his face, smashing through the store's door.

It showed him rifling through the cash register and drawers, before using an angle grinder to break open the cabinet containing cigarettes.

The footage then captured the man carrying bags and trays of cigarettes out of the store and tipping them into a trolley before scarpering.

According to owner Moueen Haddad, the man also stole up to $700 from the register.

Police received a report of burglary at the Grafton address at 2.40am, but did not attend as offenders were no longer at the store.

An officer visited about 11.15am for a short time to review the CCTV footage and to talk to staff.

After examining the footage, Haddad claimed to know who robbed his store - a customer who had been in the store on Friday afternoon, he alleged.

Haddad informed police and he said officers visited the man's address but didn't find him. This was not confirmed by the police spokesperson.

Although he wasn't concerned about the financial loss, which he could recoup through insurance, Haddad was frustrated officers didn't spend more time at the scene.

"It is not a matter of getting the money back, it's about feeling safe and secure in this country first of all and being treated by the New Zealand police as a human being who needs support."

Haddad is in Auckland's Grand Millennium managed isolation facility after returning from Jordan where his father recently died.

The police spokesperson said officers took theft seriously, but urgent callouts were given priority.

"We will respond to calls for service when units are available, however consideration must also be given to other competing demands and priority given to incidents of a critical or urgent nature.

"Where priority events mean we cannot immediately attend the scene of a burglary which has already happened and where offenders are no longer on the scene, we will gather all information possible at the time and assess and follow up as necessary."

People with information relevant to Saturday's burglary could call police via the 105 phone line and quote file number 210814/4046.

The spokesperson said shop owners could use a range of measures to prevent theft, including installing CCTV and keeping high-value items in secure areas.

On Friday, the Herald reported a 63 per cent increase in assaults in the CBD for the first five months of this year compared with the same period in 2019 - as part of its Crime in the City series.