KEY POINTS:
Auckland police are searching for hundreds of offenders on the run after failing to appear for court appearances or evading arrest warrants.
The dozen featured today are just a fraction of those police want to interview.
"Every day it changes," said police communications manager Noreen Hegarty. "Every day the courts are issuing warrants. It's definitely in the hundreds at any one time. They may be moving around, or have no fixed abode or people are sheltering them."
The move follows a similar campaign launched in July by Rotorua police and the city's Daily Post newspaper to publicise their 10 Most Wanted offenders each month.
The scheme was aimed at bringing to justice more than 100 offenders on the run, some wanted for serious violence and others who had been sought for more than three years.
The campaign was successful, with six criminals tracked down within days. By the end of August more than 50 wanted criminals handed themselves in or were arrested.
The Daily Post said most people in the community had supported the initiative, but a few had voiced concerns about naming and shaming.
"They're entitled to their opinions," said the paper in an editorial. "Meantime, we will continue doing our bit to help police and make our community safer."
The Gisborne Herald launched a similar Most Wanted campaign last month.
In Auckland, Hegarty was reluctant to use the term "most wanted".
"They are simply either wanted to interview or there are warrants for their arrest and they have remained at large despite previous police efforts to locate them."
She said such offenders often continued committing crimes because they had few options to generate income. Naming and shaming them by publishing photographs or CCTV images was a valuable tool in tracking offenders.
"Absolutely. We've been doing the Crime Scene in the Herald for six years and we're coming up to the 200th episode of Police 10-7. Often we get good nominations from the public."
Difficulties in tracing offenders not only led to more crime, but also burdened the criminal justice system.
"Certainly if we put someone before the court and they've been bailed and then don't appear, there are police resources which have to go into that."
Three months ago police launched a blitz to arrest 3000 people in the Auckland region who had failed to appear in court, in a joint operation with the Ministry of Justice, Department of Corrections and Child Youth and Family.
Hegarty said 963 of these people had been arrested, a third of those in Auckland City district.
Do you have information about these wanted persons?
Please contact Senior Sergeant Antony Wilson if you have any information about the following:
Todd Walter Senior
Terry Robert Conway
Daniel Francis Fulcher
Stefan Henderson
Alexei Skvortsov
Victor George Connolly
Email Antony Wilson
Ph: (09) 302 6684
If you have information about Alfred Nicholas, please contact Constable Amanda Reed.
Email Amanda Reed
Ph: (09) 526 7328
If you have information about Liam McDonald, please contact Nicholas Blackley.
Email Nicholas Blackley
If you have information about Mukhtar Ali, please contact Constable Mira Grubor.
Email Mira Grubor
Ph: (09) 622 8711
If you have information about Wendy Andrew or Jason Thompson, please contact Jamie Woods.
Email Jamie Woods
Ph: (09) 524 1943