At approximately 1.45am on Friday 31 March, the Kaiapoi Challenge Petrol station was the subject of a ram raid-style aggravated burglary. Immediate Police enquiries were centred around the vehicle used in the burglary and the property taken.
At 1.30am this morning, (Saturday 1 April), the Z Energy Petrol Station on Harewood Road in Christchurch was burgled, again in a ram-raid style, by a group of people driving a Mazda Familia stationwagon.
Later, at 2.48am, the Ferrymead Bottle Store was also burgled - again with a Mazda Familia vehicle used to break through the doors of the premises.
Police attended and area enquiries followed immediately, with police dog units and both uniformed and plain clothes patrols.
The Mazda involved matched CCTV images from the earlier Z Energy Petrol station break-in. Police attempted to stop the car after various sightings of it in and around Marshlands and Burwood, and later Parklands, but due to the manner of driving pursuits were abandoned.
Using good Police work, intel, cordons, and door-knocking, Police were able to locate some of the offenders of all three burglaries in Parklands and recovered most of the property which was stolen.
S/Sgt Vaughn Lapslie from the Canterbury DCC says: “ We’ve had a large number of staff working really hard over the past 30 hours to bring these burglaries to a conclusion. We would like to thank the public and the media for their assistance with resolving these offences.”
Four youths aged between 14 and 16 will be dealt with through the youth court process.
Police ask that residents and retailers continue to be security conscious and vigilant. Police are also continuing to work with large and small retailers providing advice and support to help improve security and make their premises less attractive for thieves.
If you witness any people or vehicles acting suspiciously please record a description, and any vehicle registrations whenever possible, and report them to police immediately on 111.
As this matter is now before the courts Police cannot comment further.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre