04 June 2010
Wanting to maintain pressure on criminal specialists in their city, Hamilton Police carried out a number of searches looking for goods stolen from commercial properties over recent weeks.
Hamilton City Tactical Coordinator, Senior Sergeant Greg Dunn, said the latest phase of Operation Persil led to seven people being arrested and one juvenile being referred to Youth Aid.
"We visited eight Hamilton properties and one home in Ngaruawahia searching for stolen goods taken from three businesses and a number of homes between April and May.
'Items stolen included a large amount of 'Dickies' clothing and large quantities of tobacco, and cigarettes. Items recovered this morning included some of the clothing while quantities of drug utensils and cannabis were seized."
Mr Dunn said those responsible for the break-ins seemed to be operating in two tiers with young people being used to steal items from people's homes and businesses while older members of the group direct their activities.
"Of concern to us is that the break-ins have the appearance of items being stolen to order so someone out there knows who is providing a market for these people to operate in.
"In addition to the arrests we've also been able to clear up a number of other files by way of interview and it shows the benefits of assigning specialist staff to address the burglary problem. We've seen a 56 per cent drop since January and would like to see it drop further."
While statistics were vital for assessments Mr Dunn said the drop was far more important in terms of it represented significantly less victims of crime.
Targeting recidivist dishonesty and violent offenders, Operation Persil has seen over 200 arrests since it began in November and Mr Dunn said it was sending a clear message to those deriving their income from crime.
"We call them criminal specialists, people who steal to make their money or who receive stolen goods and move them on in return for cash, drugs or other items.
"While Police are doing their part we ask the public get on board as well, by reporting suspicious activity to Police and recording serial numbers on the SNAP website."
Operation SNAP (www.snap.org.nz) allows people to record the serial numbers of valuables and gives Police a valuable tool in the fight against crime.
"Too often our staff recover electronics while searching properties but they have no way of proving the goods are stolen and have to return them to the offender.
"There's nothing more frustrating for Police but by recording your serial numbers there's an auditable trail and it makes it harder for offenders to move a stolen item from the black market to the legitimate one, it's about narrowing down the criminal's options."
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