Police make arrests in Hamilton ram raid

Four people have appeared in the Hamilton District Court after being charged with a range of offences relating to a series of 'ram raid” style burglaries targeting commercial premises in the Hamilton City area.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant William Loughrin says seven burglaries have been committed over the past three days by a motivated group of offenders.

'They have used stolen vehicles to drive into shop fronts to gain entry and steal items. These offences have occurred in the early hours of the morning while the shops have been unoccupied.

'Over the past few days police have conducted a number of scene examinations, reviewed CCTV footage and identified those involved in the offending.”

On Wednesday police located a stolen vehicle that was used in the ram raid burglaries and two men were arrested. A number of searches warrants were conducted at addresses linked to these men which lead to the recovery of stolen items.

William says patrols were increased overnight and early on Thursday morning police identified another vehicle linked to the burglaries.

'When they attempted to pull over the vehicle, the driver attempted to evade police. The driver then proceeded to ram police vehicles before road spikes were laid bringing the car to a stop on Cobham Drive.”

The driver was arrested and two passengers ran from the car.

One of the passengers was arrested later this morning and police are still seeking the third person.

'Police want to thank members of the public who reported suspicious behaviour, which led to identifying the offender's vehicle in the Hamilton area.”

In order to prevent businesses from being targeted, William Loughrin recommends owners of commercial premises to remain vigilant and consider having CCTV on both the interior and exterior of their properties.

If at all possible, consider placing bollards at the front of the shop to prevent vehicles being driven into it, and remove valuable stock from the premises or secure it safely when the shop is closed.

'Above all, if you see any suspicious behaviour, or find evidence that someone has attempted to gain access to your shop, call your local Police station.”

If you think you are witnessing a crime in progress call 111.

SOURCE: New Zealand Police

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