Police target theft and vehicle crime

Northland District Headquarters
88 Cameron Street, Whangärei
Thursday April 10, 2014

Police will be carrying out random patrols around service stations and supermarkets in Northland in an effort to reduce vehicle crime, petrol drive-offs and other theft offences.

Theft, burglary, and vehicle crime are a priority for police.
To prevent the crimes from occurring in the first place police will be patrolling at service stations and supermarkets for short periods day and night. Any suspicious people or vehicles will be stopped.

On Tuesday a Whangärei Public Safety Team spent a total of half an hour in short 5 - 10 minute blocks over the whole night patrolling around the Gull Service Station.

This service station had been noted as a high risk location with a number of thefts and petrol drive-offs.
That night police arrested two people, impounded two cars, and issued 15 infringement notices.

Whangärei Area Prevention Manager Senior Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe says theft and petrol drive-offs take up a lot of police resource.

"It doesn't take our staff a long time to carry out this prevention tactic and with this result we are likely to have prevented a number of crimes from occurring."

ENDS

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