A very sparse article published by Stuff yesterday covers an aggravated robbery on a bus in Wellington late Friday afternoon. Six people were taken in to custody, but five will be referred to youth services. The article reports multiple people were injured but police state no weapons seem to have been used.
Are ram raids tapering off? At least, it appears media are reporting fewer, although there have been two in Levin in the last week, targeting “the till and smoking products including vapes, tobacco and lighters”.
Mckay said an alarm woke her up, as a group of youths attempted to ramraid the shopfront. However, once they realised there were concrete pillars and could not break in, they smashed the windows.
Stuff
A recent NZ Herald article suggests that adrenaline and TikTok are behind the youth offending, and notes:
Counter-measures are proving expensive to improve security at dairies and small retailers, the most common targets for their cash, cigarettes and clothing.
Physical barriers have been costed at $1000 per bollard – an average of six needed at the most vulnerable shops. Cheaper variations including planter boxes, roller doors and fog canons [sic] are now in the mix.
NZ Herald
What difference are bollards and fog cannons really going to make? And, if it becomes too tedious, will these youths just switch target? Aggravated robbery on a bus?
At what point is the system going to seriously deal with these kids, who know damn well they’ll only receive a slap on the wrist?
Discuss it on The BFD.