Te Puke police report: One arrest after ram raid

Forensic teams have picked up promising evidence at burglary scenes.

So far in March, there have been nine burglaries in the district.

There have been a number of burglaries in the commercial area at the west end of the town, on Jellicoe St.

One business had 17 windows smashed and several were broken into.

Our forensic team has done a good job of picking up some promising evidence and we expect to be able to make an arrest in the coming day.

The other recent high-profile incidents have been the ram raids at the Puffland vape shop and the Bottle-O liquor store on Jellicoe St, carried out a week apart.

One person was arrested with respect to the Puffland incident on the night, and forensic evidence has identified a second offender who is known to the local police. We are currently trying to locate that person and make an arrest.

Investigations are proceeding well regarding the ram raid on the Bottle-O store, and we suspect the two incidents are potentially linked.