Waikato police say a series of recent arrests have the potential to resolve hundreds of offences in the Waihi and greater Coromandel areas.

The arrests have been credited to a shift in tactics in how police focus on volume and dishonesty crime, which is continuing to pay dividends.

Members of Waikato's Armed Offenders Squad and the Waikato Tactical Crime unit assisted Waihi Police with a raid on a Waihi address last Friday. Photo: File

Waikato Tactical Crime Unit detective senior sergeant Daryl Smith says members of his team and the Armed Offenders Squad accompanied Waihi Police to a Regent St address last Friday.

'Our staff were following up leads developed by Waihi staff in relation to dozens of burglaries in the Waihi and greater Coromandel,” says Daryl.

'Armed staff were required to assist with the search warrant as information was to hand that the occupants may have access to restricted weapons.

'While firearms weren't recovered, property and information was linking one offender to what at first looked like 15 burglaries in Waihi and one theft from a vehicle.

Daryl adds: 'This has subsequently expanded to six burglaries in Waihi Beach, five in Whiritoa and two in Whangamata.”

Police are also looking into links to 10-15 offences in Whitianga which included the theft of various vehicles including motorbikes, a go-kart and a utility.

Daryl says it is too early to give an exact number of offences committed but police are potentially facing the possibility of clearing around 100 complaints.

In addition to the main offender, a 26-year-old man, two other people wanted on warrants to arrest were also taken into custody and face a variety of dishonesty charges.

'At this stage it looks like our staff will be spending several days working to establish the extent of the offending that has been linked to this man.

'But Friday's wasn't the only success the TCU have had lately.”

Daryl says members of his team have also apprehended a further seven people over recent days who have amassed another 50 dishonesty offences.

Those offenders carried out burglaries, thefts from cars, arson, fraud and other offences both in Hamilton and across the Waikato.

'The recent successes speak volumes for the changes brought about last year by the creation of the TCU from staff brought together from across the Waikato to volume crime.”

Where previously officers were tied down to static locations Daryl says this centralised approach allows a group of dedicated hunters to target problem crime areas district wide.

'It's about bringing a whole of district solution to problems, offenders need to realise it's not just the resources of Waihi, or Te Awamutu or Hamilton Police they face but a whole of Waikato solution.”