Just over 100 Police staff have today completed work on Operation Chill. This was the 5th operation to be held in 2003 under the banner of the "Policing Metropolitan Auckland" initiatives, where staff from the three Police Districts in the Auckland Region have pooled their resources to work together fighting crime.
This Operation ran for 12 days from the 17th to the 28th of November and focussed primarily on almost 400 offenders who were known to either be active in, or have a notable criminal history for; burglary, vehicle crime or violence.
Operation Chill saw just over 200 of these offenders arrested and more than 350 charges laid for crimes including burglary, stealing motor vehicles, assaults and breaching parole.
Importantly the Police worked in partnership with other government agencies who also had an interest in the same people. For example, nearly half of those persons being sought by the Police, also had warrants for their arrest for substantial amounts in unpaid reparation and fines. About a third of those sought were located, arrested and put before the courts in an attempt to recover a total of $300,000 that they owed.
The Community Probation service were looking for more than 100 persons who had breached their parole or supervision. Police teams on Operation Chill were able to track down and arrest a considerable number of those people. Most of these offenders didn’t realise the Police had powers to become involved in such matters, and in many instances it sent them scurrying to find their Probation officers to give themselves up, before the Police found them.
About half the offenders targeted in this operation still remain at large, however just because Operation Chill has finished, doesn’t mean we will give up looking for them. The files will go back to local Police Stations who will continue the search until they are apprehended.
The Police also reported more than 60 cases to WINZ (Work and Income NZ), where the person evading apprehension, was at the same time in receipt of a benefit. After all, the New Zealand public are unlikely to accept that their taxes are being used to pay people to be fugitives.
The impact this operation has had on crime statistics will not be known for some weeks, however anecdotal reports have been encouraging; the Police Area Controller at Manurewa reported that for the first time in memory Manurewa went 24 hours without a burglary due to the heat that had been placed on the criminal fraternity.
There have been many benefits for the public from this operation, not only in terms of offenders being put before the courts, but from the inter-agency co-operation between government departments which we intend to make a more robust component of day to day policing. The only losers from this collaborative approach will be the criminals.
Superintendent Roger Carson
District Commander
Chairman of the Board of Managers
Policing Metropolitan Auckland
09 488 9753