There are about 80 high-risk repeat offenders around the country at the heart of the ramraid mayhem, newly appointed Police Minister Ginny Andersen says.
Appearing on Newshub Nation on Saturday, Andersen said she has seen the offenders in her own area, Hutt Valley.
"I've dealt with instances locally outside Queensgate mall and the bus terminal around that area," Andersen told host Rebecca Wright.
"They are a small number of high-risk children and young people who have come from very complex backgrounds."
Andersen said the instigators of youth crime often gain a group of onlookers which can appear as though more are participating in crime.
"What happens in those instances… there might be one or two instigators but they actually get a lot of onlookers or people using social media, so they have a bit of a hub of others coming around them. Those on the outsiders might not be offenders, they might not even be participating in crime but they are still coming along to be there by those individuals."
She revealed the Government and police know who a lot of the youth offenders are, saying many of them have been referred to programmes such as Kotahi te Whakaaro, which was set up to provide wrap-around support for youth offenders apprehended in ram raid and fleeing driver events across south and west Auckland.
"We will be working with a range of other Government agencies to make sure the family that child comes from has a wrap-around support plan in place," Andersen said.
Watch the full video for more.
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