At least a dozen police officers have executed search warrants and visited a number of known repeat offenders in an effort to halt an increase in dishonesty crimes in and around Kaitaia.
The officers - all from Far North stations, bar two from Whangarei - carried out an operation around the Far North area that netted a number of arrests, including a middle-aged woman allegedly found growing 30 cannabis plants in an indoor operation.
Mr Ewers said the operation was part of a total policing approach that targeted areas that had experienced higher than normal levels of crime, particularly dishonesty offences like burglary. It follows similar operations earlier this year in Raumanga, Whangarei, and Kawakawa/Moerewa.
He said Kaitaia and surrounds have been hit by a run of dishonesty offences recently and Wednesday's operation saw officers visit a number of known repeat offenders and also victims of the crimes - mainly businesses - to reassure them and offer advice on how they could improve security.
"We are trying to focus on areas that have had a higher than normal level of such crimes and there have been a lot of victims up there. People that were known to us for dishonesty offending were visited, while some officers also executed search warrants, including for high-risk drivers who had lost their licences because of excess demerit points," he said.