Attributable to Inspector Ross Grantham, Manawatū Area Commander:

Eight people have been arrested following several burglaries and incidents of theft in the Feilding and Rongotea areas over the last six weeks.

The Palmerston North Tactical Crime Unit conducted eight search warrants over the last two weeks in Marton, Ashurst, Cheltenham, and Palmerston North in relation to dishonesty offending.

A large number of items were recovered including eight firearms, and around $10,000 worth of stolen items.

The burglaries included commercial, residential, and rural premises.

Thanks to information from the public and investigative work from our dedicated Tactical Crime Unit, two groups of alleged offenders were identified, one in the wider Manawatū region, and the other in Palmerston North.

Three men from the first group aged between 19 and 22 are now before the Palmerston North District Court on charges related to theft, burglary, and drug related matters.

A further three men from the second group are also scheduled to appear in the Palmerston North District Court facing the same charges.

Our enquiries remain ongoing into the burglaries and further charges are being considered.

These arrests are testament to the investigative work carried out by the Tactical Crime Unit.

The results speak for themselves with the number of charges, stolen property recovered and that most of the alleged offenders are now remanded in custody.

This type of crime goes to the core of community safety, and we are committed to identify those who are responsible.

We ask that the community continue to report any suspicious activity in the area, as any piece of information no matter how small can assist us in our investigations.

If you see any suspicious or unlawful activity contact Police on 105 or via 111 if it’s happening now.

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