UPDATED 10.03AM: Auckland mayoral candidate Phil Goff believes that a lack of police officers is endangering people's lives.

LISTEN ABOVE: Phil Goff speaks to Jack Tame

His comments follow the story of a girl who used a phone tracking app to find her stolen phone, then confronted the thieves to get it back.

Labour MP and mayoral candidate Phil Goff said it's just another example of police not being able to turn up to a crime in progress. 

"It'll only get better when police are given the resources to ensure that they can respond to concerns from the public to address the circumstances that give rise to those young offenders," he said. 

Meanwhile, Goff said police also have to step in on a rising number of burglaries, otherwise shop owners will start arming themselves.

South Auckland retailers concerned about their safety after a spate of shop front robberies are holding a meeting tonight to decide how to make their community safer.

Goff said a lack of resourcing means the police cannot step in when they should at the time of a crime.

"Retailers tell me that we want to arm ourselves against people, and I say 'well look under the law you can't do that, you've got to call the police', and they say 'but when we call the police, the police aren't able to come'."

He said the Minister of Justice, Minister of Child Youth and Family and police all declined to attend the meeting.

Police Minister Judith Collins wasn't available to interview. However, in a statement, she says there's been no change to the overall numbers of sworn police staff.

Collins said the police baseline budget was increased by $41 million in last year's budget.