Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders:
Hamilton Police investigating a recent spate of commercial break-ins and burglaries have charged a youth with five commercial burglaries.
Police were alerted to reports of a group attempting to break into vehicles on Lake Road and Somerset Street in Frankton around 3.15pm on Monday.
Police responded and arrested two youths aged 12 and 14.
The 12-year-old boy was found in possession of a number of items linked to break-ins at commercial premises, including a vape shop in Hamilton, overnight on Sunday.
He has subsequently been charged with five commercial burglaries and failing to stop for police.
The 14-year-old has been charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, unlawful interference, and possession of instruments and is due to appear in Hamilton Youth Court on Wednesday.
We would also like to thank the member of the public who spotted the suspicious activity on Monday afternoon around the Frankton area and railway station area and called police, relaying movements to officers responding.
This follows the arrest of a 16-year-old on Monday morning following several break-ins at commercial premises in Hamilton.
Police were alerted at 4am on Monday to a burglary at a service station in St Andrews. Two offenders were seen smashing the doors to gain entry before stealing the cash till and beverages and fleeing in a stolen Toyota Aqua. A dairy next door was also targeted but entry was not gained.
About 15 minutes later, the same group are believed to have broken into a vape store on Collingwood Street in Hamilton City, stealing various items before fleeing in another vehicle.
Hamilton Police made follow-up inquiries and located a 16-year-old at a property shortly after. He was taken into custody and is facing charges of burglary and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.
These youth have also been referred to Youth Aid Services and will be followed up by our youth engagement teams.
Since 1 February, more than 50 arrests have been made of people aged 12-18 years old, and more than 500 vehicles have been stolen. A number of these vehicles have been stolen and used in other offending such as ram raid-style burglaries.
Waikato Police have set up a dedicated team to investigate this type of offending and are taking a whole-of-policing approach. This involves not only investigating individual offences, but working through our intelligence and policing teams to identify the drivers and prevent further harm.
We are here if businesses would like to get in contact with any queries they have relating to this offending, and we can help to provide advice on protecting businesses. We know how frustrating this offending is to business owners.
We'd also encourage all members of the public to report suspicious activity immediately via 111 as this can help us to respond in a timely manner, as was the case on Monday.
Hamilton Police are also continuing to see high numbers of vehicle thefts related to this offending, particularly Toyota Aquas and Mazda Demios.
We urge people who own these types of vehicles in the Hamilton City area to ensure they do everything they can to help prevent them being stolen.
This includes parking them in a secure, well-lit place if possible, and considering an alarm and/or a steering wheel lock.
