Police, mayor concerned by offenders’ ages
Vehicle theft in Ka¯piti has increased by 55% since February and has also spiked in Wellington and Hutt Valley.
Police are urging the public to take precautions after noticing the significant rise, with 11 cars on average being stolen daily since February, in comparison to last year’s average of six vehicles per day.
Ka¯ piti Coast District mayor K Gurunathan says locals have made him aware that there is an ongoing problem on the coast.
Ka¯piti police recently announced they had referred six youngsters to Youth Aid.
Ka¯ piti-Mana area commander Inspector Tracey Thompson said the six youths were taken into custody after good work from local police. Police had received reports of young people breaking into cars in the Waikanae Beach area.
Thompson says the age of these young people is a real worry, and echoes recent commentary around this being a wider community issue.
‘‘I’m aware that the recent spate of vehicle thefts is something our Ka¯ piti community are really concerned about.
‘‘It’s not an issue police can address alone. We need all of our wha¯ nau and community to wrap themselves around vulnerable young people to steer them towards better outcomes,’’ she says.
Two of the offenders were aged 12, two were 13, one was 15 and one was 16.
Gurunathan says he applauds ‘‘the quick action’’ of the police.
‘‘Like the police, I am concerned by the young age of these offenders and the cultural influence of social media that we’ve seen in other similar youth offending.’’
Such antisocial behaviour is a problem that everyone needs to address, he says.
‘‘This is a community issue and we need the knowledge and expertise of schools, parents, caregivers, providers and frontline practitioners to help guide our at-risk rangatahi towards a brighter path.’’
In Hutt Valley, the average number of cars being stolen is up 74%, while it is 57% in Wellington, 55% in Ka¯piti and 46% in Wairarapa.
Police are urging vehicle owners to take precautions to prevent their vehicles from being targeted.
These include ensuring vehicles are locked, all valuable items are removed or concealed from view when the car is parked, avoiding on-street parking if you have a garage and if not, park in a well-lit busy area, and purchasing anti-theft devices, such as steering wheel locks.
‘‘By making your vehicle more challenging to steal, opportunistic thieves will be more likely to leave it alone,’’ Jennings said.
Wellington District prevention manager Inspector Wade Jennings said the majority of stolen vehicles were being recovered, but the thefts were upsetting for many people.
‘‘The most commonly targeted vehicles continue to be the Mazda Demio, the Nissan Tiida, and the Mazda Atenza, with many of these vehicles taken so the offenders can go on a joyride,‘‘ he said.
Most of the offenders were teenagers, aged between 15 and 18. Jennings said the youth offending wasn’t like what was being seen around the country, with an increase in ram raids and burglaries by some children as young as 7.
Police are urging vehicle owners to take precautions to prevent their vehicles from being targeted.
‘‘By making your vehicle more challenging to steal, opportunistic thieves will be more likely to leave it alone,’’ Jennings said.