14 arrests over jewellery store raids

Fourteen young people have been arrested in Auckland and Waikato for suspected involvement in a spate of recent aggravated robberies – including the daylight robbery of a jewellery store in Hamilton on Sunday.

Auckland police apprehended six people following an aggravated robbery at a St Lukes retail complex last week.

The ‘‘Operation Rhino’’ investigation team arrested and charged an 18-year-old man and five youths on Monday night for their involvement in an aggravated robbery of a retail store within the St Lukes complex on September 20.

These six people, along with two other youths, have also been charged with conspiring to commit aggravated robbery after the group was found by police in two vehicles in East Auckland on Monday night.

Jewellery and other items were found by the investigation team during a subsequent search of the vehicles.

One of the people arrested in East Auckland has been charged in relation to the aggravated robbery of Michael Hill Jeweller at The Base in Hamilton on Sunday.

All eight of those arrested will appear in the Auckland District Court and youth courts respectively in due course.

An additional youth has already been charged with their involvement in this matter, which is before the Youth Court.

Inquiries continue into other aggravated robberies and burglaries across Tā maki Makaurau that police allege the group is believed to be responsible for.

Meanwhile, six young people were arrested following a robbery at a Hamilton bottle store.

Police were called to the store in Borman Rd in Flagstaff about 6.50pm on Monday to reports the store had been robbed.

Offenders had entered the store on foot armed with weapons including machetes, tyre irons, and screwdrivers. They threatened the shopkeepers with the weapons and made off in two vehicles. The vehicles were not used to gain entry to the store.

One of the vehicles was seen a short time later by police staff on Hukanui Rd, before it was seen again on Chedworth Place.

Officers put cordons in place quickly and soon found all six believed to have been involved in the robbery, from the two vehicles. Some of the weapons were found inside the vehicles, and another in a nearby garden.

Two of the young people were due in the Hamilton Youth Court on Tuesday, while the four others were due in court yesterday.

Police said they still wanted to hear from anyone with information, including footage of the incidents.

People can do that by calling police on 105 or online at using ‘‘Update My Report’’, referencing file number 220920/9009.

Photos or video can also be emailed to the dedicated Operation Rhino, email oprhino@police.govt.nz.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

‘‘I’m over the moon to be able to give someone this life-changing news ... I’m extremely excited for them.’’