Police patrols will carry out a significant operation to crack down on vehicle crime throughout Counties Manukau over the next two nights.
Thieves are commonly targeting vehicles such as the Toyota Hiace van, a number of Subaru vehicles such as the Impreza, Legacy, and Forester plus the Mazda Demio and Atenza are popular amongst car thieves, as well as the Nissan Cefiro and Primera.
Police report that in the last three months more than 900 vehicles were stolen in Counties Manukau.
This weekend Police will be at motorway on-ramps, on main arterial routes across Counties Manukau, and in crime hotspot areas carrying out mandatory checks on commonly stolen vehicles.
Counties Manukau Police inspector Bruce O’Brien says car crime continues to be a major issue for the District.
“Our intelligence tells us that offenders involved with vehicle crime and burglaries are increasingly moving around the Auckland Metro Districts committing these offences.
This operation aims to prevent the offending before it happens,” says O’Brien.
The operation will be led by the Counties Manukau District but with the support of Police staff from across Auckland.
A large amount of bail checks will be carried out on offenders with known links to vehicle crime and burglary.
O’Brien says Police need the public’s help to reduce vehicle crime.
“The best way you can protect yourself from being a target is preventing the crime from happening in the first place,” he says.
“Where possible, park your car inside your property rather than on the street or only park in well-lit and busy locations. Purchasing a wheel lock is money well spent on the security of your vehicle.”
“We all have a role to play in reducing car crime – if we all do our bit to watch out for suspicious activity, we can make a big difference and significantly reduce the number of victims of crime in our community,” says O’Brien.
Anyone with information on car crime can report information anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
