Please attribute to Detective Sergeant Darren Thomas, Eastern Bay of Plenty Police

A successful investigation and prosecution that resulted in 23 people being convicted should send a strong message that Police are taking action against violent crime in the Eastern Bay of Plenty area.

The investigation, which followed a violent incident in Whakatane in January 2017, saw 25 people arrested and charged with a range of offences.

Twenty-three of those were convicted, and received more than 40 years’ prison time between them.

Police will continue to hold people accountable for this type of offending, while also encouraging them to pursue a more positive life direction.

We are very grateful to the local community who provided valuable information at the outset which allowed us to progress this investigation in a positive manner.

Police want the Whakatane community to know that we will thoroughly investigate any incident such as this, and appropriate action will be taken.

ENDS

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