A risk management expert says social media has a lot to answer for when it comes to ram raids.
Police are still looking for the group that crashed into Papamoa Plaza on Saturday, whilst a bottle store in Wellington was targeted overnight.
But it turns out that young people are looking for attention online, because some aren't getting it in their homes.
Pics or it didn't happen - that's what the kids are saying these days.
It took two cars just three minutes to hit Papamoa Plaza in Tauranga on Saturday night, smashing into Stirling Sports and Backdoor Surf Shop.
They then take to social media to boast about their haul online.
Global Risk Consulting director Chris Kumeroa said they get praise from people online for committing these crimes.
"They get notoriety and pats on the back for conducting these sorts of activities."
Kumeroa recently conducted a ram raid threat and risk assessment review.
He said the young people getting into trouble come from highly deprived communities with little support.
"One might argue they are invisible to the world because of that highly deprived position."
So they make themselves visible online, boldly sharing their faces, then sharing with each other the best place to raid next.
"What they do through social media is they communicate where that soft target is and then they can pivot to that soft target," Kumeroa said.
A Wellington liquor store was hit overnight and $25,000 of damage was caused in under a minute.
The owner is now thinking about having bollards installed to better protect his business.
Ram raids are up 500 percent since 2018, and police said 76 percent of them are committed by people under 17.
Kumeroa said these young people shouldn't be written off.
"They do their own networking, they do their own marketing, they do their own surveillance, so that takes a high level of intelligence," Kumeroa said.
They just need to use their skills to smash goals, not people's livelihoods.
