He says soon after the two incidents, police received a report from a member of the public regarding a suspicious vehicle being dumped in Eltham. The person witnessed three people running from the car.
“The three people were successfully located and arrested.”
Police in Stratford then spotted the Toyota in the town, he says.
“Two youths got out and walked away from the vehicle and were arrested. The two remaining in the car continued driving out of Stratford taking rural roads and were spiked near Cardiff.
“They continued driving on Opunake Road until the wheels disintegrated. They then abandoned the car and fled on foot across farmland before being arrested by police.”
Andrew says all seven young people have been referred to youth services.
“This large group of youths are believed to [have been] involved in similar offending in South Taranaki over the past few months.”
He says it’s important to remember the impact on the victims of crimes committed.
“While resolutions like this are positive, we know they are cold comfort to the people who have been targeted and have lost their vehicles or property or have been assaulted. Police and Victim Support will be providing ongoing support to the victims of this offending.”
Police are working hard to continue to identify and apprehend people responsible for criminal behaviour in the district, says Andrew.
“However, police cannot be everywhere at once and we cannot deter opportunistic thieves on our own.”
Members of the public should not hesitate to contact police if they have any information about the recent incidents or any other offending.
With stolen vehicles often used for joyriding, there can be serious safety risks for the drivers, their passengers, other drivers on the road and the public in general, he says.
“We encourage parents or families of those involved to reach out to police to work through possible solutions.”
People can help by making their vehicles less attractive to opportunistic thieves, says Andrew.
Some simple preventative measures include:
- Ensure the vehicle is locked and parked off the road, out of sight, or in a secure parking area where possible.
- Consider a vehicle alarm or vehicle immobiliser.
- Purchase a steering wheel lock.
- Ensure valuables and credit cards are removed from vehicles, particularly if cars are parked in the open.
Anyone that sees suspicious activity around vehicles should call police on 111 if it’s happening now, or 105 after the fact.
