Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, June 6, 2023
Four youths have been arrested following three burglaries in Thames, Patetonga and Tahuna on Saturday morning, as Police continue their efforts to deter retail crimes surging in the Waikato area.
An early morning burglary, erratic driving, failure to stop and a journey of more than 100 km ended in the youth offenders being arrested and now ready to face the consequences for their actions.
Police were notified of the first burglary at a commercial premises on Pollen Street, Thames at about 2.35am on Saturday, June 3, 2023. It was confirmed by the Police that a stolen vehicle was used to gain entry to the store.
At about 3.25am Police were notified of a burglary of a service station in Patetonga and a short time later a burglary at another service station in Tahuna was reported.
Police units in the Waikato area were on the lookout for the vehicle the offenders were travelling in when it was located acting suspiciously near a commercial premises in Morrinsville.
The vehicle was signalled to stop but failed to do so and fled from Police towards Hamilton.
The vehicle was pursued for a short time but was abandoned once the registration of the vehicle had been obtained. Police followed the vehicle at a distance.
The vehicle was later spiked and eventually came to a stop at the intersection of Naylor and Fox Streets, Hamilton and the four offenders were arrested.
The youths, aged between 15 and 17, have since appeared in the Hamilton Youth Court on charges of burglary and unlawful taking.
Inspector Willie Cuthers said, “We acknowledge the concern these incidents cause to business owners and to the wider community and reiterate our commitment to holding these offenders accountable. We will not tolerate this behaviour in our community and will continue to work hard to ensure our community can be safe and feel safe.”
Inspector Cuthers also said that these arrests reflect the hard work Waikato Police are putting in to respond to ram raids and burglaries.
If you see any suspicious activity then Police urge you to contact 111 if it happening now, or 105 if it is after the fact.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Hamilton.
