Five arrested for spate of west Auckland robberies

AUCKLAND - Five teenagers are facing charges over 20 aggravated robberies between April and May in west Auckland.

The five alleged offenders, aged between 15 and 19, were arrested last week, police said today.

Police believe they are responsible for a spate of armed robberies of people on streets in and around Mt Roskill and Balmoral between April 16 and May 18.

All five alleged offenders will appear in court on June 15.

Three will appear in Auckland District Court and the other two - a 15 and a 17-year-old - in the Youth Court as they have been jointly charged with aggravated robbery offences.

Detective Sergeant Millar Rewi of Avondale CIB anticipates there will be further arrests and understands that some of the victims have not yet reported their experiences to police.

Police named the investigation "Operation Time" because the alleged offenders often approached their victims, who were alone in the street, and asked for the time.

Police alleged they assaulted and/or threatened victims with a knife, before demanding money, mobile phones, wallets and bank cards and PIN numbers.

Police recovered a number of stolen items when executing the search warrants last week.

- NZPA