Auckland has the worst commercial crime rates of the country, data from insurer NZI shows.

It said insurance claims for commercial crime increased 26 per cent in 2022, with Auckland bearing the brunt.

Of the 3698 commercial crime claims received by NZI, 37 per cent were in Auckland.

Waikato was the second-worst region for crime at 18 per cent of claims, followed by Canterbury (12 per cent), Bay of Plenty (eight per cent) and Wellington (seven per cent).

Garry Taylor, NZI executive general manager, said businesses across the country were suffering from an increase in crime, particularly burglary.

For the past five years, burglary has remained the most common type of commercial crime claim, making up 75 per cent of crime claims in 2022.

Auckland had the most burglary claims, but the Bay of Plenty had the second-highest number of burglary claims in 2022, with 288 claims (after Auckland at 508), despite being ranked eighth overall for crime claims.

Taylor said anecdotally, the addition of vape products in dairies appeared to increase the risk of burglaries.

'Over the past decade, security measures for cigarettes have been developed and improved and are now at generally good standards. However, vaping products, which are newer to New Zealand, tend to have fewer security measures, making them common targets for thieves.”

Ram raids also featured in insurance crime claims, with Auckland (38 per cent), Waikato (25 per cent) and Canterbury (10 per cent) the top three targets in 2022, followed by the Bay of Plenty (eight per cent). Northland and Wellington ranked equally in fifth place (five per cent each).

In 2022, NZI received 213 ram raid claims, a 132 per cent increase from 2021 (92 claims) and 420 per cent above 2020 (41 claims).

'These crimes are incredibly disruptive, and it can take a long time for businesses to recover. Often there is significant damage to the building, on top of the loss of stock. In some parts of the country, supply chain shortages have meant lead times to procure shopfront glass and tradespeople has increased.”

Ram raiders often targeted branded goods and items that were easily disposable through social media.

In terms of retail crime, Auckland (32.5 per cent) and Waikato (26 per cent) lead the country, again followed by Canterbury (11 per cent), the Bay of Plenty (9.2 per cent) and Wellington (6.5 per cent).

Northland had the highest average cost of retail theft-related claims, despite making up only one per cent of total retail theft claims.

Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford said the figures were no surprise but it was a much larger issue than the figures would show.

”There's lots of crime that's unreported and there's lots of retailers who are now underinsured because of recent escalations in insurance premiums.

'The bottom line is that retail crime is a massive issue - and it's costing all of us. Retailers are paying for damage, losses, preventative measures and increased insurance premiums - and these costs are ultimately passed on to consumers through higher prices.”

-Brianna Mcilraith/Stuff.