A dozen youths have been arrested following a series of robberies and ram-raid-style burglaries across the North Island last week.
The first burglary occurred on Monday, April 17 on Sunset Road, Sunnybrook, Rotorua.
Two young people had allegedly entered the store demanding items before fleeing in a waiting vehicle, a police spokesperson said in a statement. No one was injured during the incident.
The following morning, two young people were taken into custody and appeared before the Youth Court in relation to the robbery.
Later on Tuesday, April 18, Rotorua police were called to an attempted aggravated robbery of a store on Hamurana Road at around 4pm.
Five people were allegedly involved in the incident, where the worker was threatened, and demanded tobacco items. Ultimately, they were unsuccessful and left the store.
The spokesperson said their vehicle was successfully spiked by police and abandoned soon after, and the offenders fled on foot.
After an on foot-chase involving officers and a police dog and handler, all five were taken into custody. The offenders have since appeared before the Youth Court in relation to the matter.
On Monday morning, police were alerted to a ram-raid-style burglary in Putāruru, Waikato.
The alleged offenders then travelled to Taupō, and four young people entered a jewellery store on Horomātangi Street and allegedly smashed displays and threatened store occupants, a spokesperson said. A fog cannon was deployed and the offenders fled the scene in a vehicle.
Police located the vehicle in Atiamuri, where the alleged offenders damaged a police vehicle as they fled the scene.
The vehicle was successfully spiked on SH30 near Rotorua, and five people were taken into custody. They all face charges in the Youth Court.
Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said in a statement these arrests demonstrate the commitment of police staff to locate offenders and hold them to account.
"In all of these cases, arrests were able to be made within 24 hours of the incident happening," he said.
"I'm really proud of how hard our staff are working and their level of expertise when it comes to taking these offenders off the streets.
"These results should reassure the community and business owners that we have absolutely no tolerance for this type of offending."
