Police has continued our focus on preventing and responding to aggravated robbery and ram raids and the harm they cause in our communities.

The results of ongoing efforts on violent crime and other retail crime can be seen in the numbers:

Ram raids have continued to trend down with slight fluctuations, to the lowest number of 15 in April 2024, compared to a high of 86 in August 2022. 534 aggravated robbery offenders had court proceedings initiated again them and another 99 are going through non-court and youth processes for aggravated robbery over the past 12 months. 63% increase in foot patrols by staff in central Auckland when comparing the period April 2023 to March 2024, with the 12 months prior from April 2022 to March 2023. 378 children and 101 young people have been referred through Fast Track to multi-agency teams since it began in December 2022, 70% of children and 88% of young people have not been referred back again. 3,737 security measures have been installed through the Retail Crime Prevention Programme and 883 stores have now had installations completed. 2,254 charges have been laid against 383 offenders by Police’s National Retail Investigation Support Unit since it started in May 2022. Assistant Commissioner Investigations Paul Basham when there is a risk of violence, or outright violence and harm to people, that is what our staff prioritise. "That threat of harm in our community creates fear. That is not acceptable for any person simply going to work to do their job.”

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Officers have been focusing on providing reassurance to retail communities across the motu. This has been especially evident in Tamaki Makarau, where there has been a spate of aggravated robberies at petrol stations, jewellers, and malls.

This will be boosted by Community Beat Teams and Operation Safer Streets in Auckland.

“We know that just a year ago ram raids were a huge concern to the retail community. We’re happy to see that these have significantly reduced.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen an increase in aggravated robberies, though not to the same extent we saw with ram raids. However, we know some incidents have involved some of the same groups of offenders.

“Anybody undertaking such a vicious act can expect to be met with the full force of policing. We won’t tolerate this behaviour and will do everything in our power to prevent it and to hold any offenders to account.

“As we’ve said before, Police cannot solve this problem alone. Where young people are found to be committing these offences, they are managed in the Youth Justice System and after considerations across agencies, may be placed back into the community following their apprehension.

“This is where we welcome our partners and our communities to work alongside us so we can achieve long-term change and solutions which address the underlying causes and risks for these young people and children.

“These kids are often coming from backgrounds of neglect, violence, and abuse. This offending behaviour is usually driven from that background, and being disengaged from school or employment, the monetary gain from stealing certain goods, and for many the use of social media to promote their criminal offending and gain notoriety.”

This work directly contributes to Government targets 3 and 4 [1] around reducing child and youth offending behaviour and reducing violent crime.

Police is committed to playing our part reducing violence and crime in communities.

More information about ways that retailers can help to protect themselves and prevent retail crime can be found at: www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/businesses-and-organisations/retail-crime-prevention-hub/prevention-resources

Notes:

Fast Track is a programme aimed at children aged 10-13, and some young people aged 14-17, who commit serious offending or continue to reoffend at a high rate and need a more intensive, wrap-around approach.

The protocol between Oranga Tamariki and Police aims to have an action plan in place within 24 or 48 hours of apprehension. The approach ensures once a child/young person is identified or apprehended by Police for offending behaviour, information is shared with Oranga Tamariki and any immediate needs of the child/young person and their whānau are addressed.

An action plan is created by the best agency or community partner to work with the youth and their whānau to address any well-being concerns such as truancy, health, etc. This plan may also include a Family Group Conference or court proceedings.

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