Wellington region ram raids: Thieves target Kilbirnie vape shop, Ōtaki liquor store

The vape shop in Kilbirnie was raided just before 2am.

Wellington police are investigating two ram raids in the region overnight.

The first occurred at a vape shop in Kilbirnie, where a vehicle was used to smash inside the store on Bay Rd just before 2am.

A police spokesperson told the Herald the offenders fled the scene before police arrived, and could not be found. Further inquiries are being made, and a scene guard is in place at the shop.

The second ram raid occurred further out of the city in Ōtaki shortly before 4am.

A Super Liquor in Arthur St was targeted by offenders who have not yet been found by police.

A spokesperson says inquiries into the theft are ongoing.

Between May and August there were 129 ram raids across Aotearoa, with "almost all" of them being committed by people under 18 according to Police Minister Chris Hipkins.

Of the 129 recorded ram raids, 84 were in Auckland, where ram raids and smash-and-grab robberies have traumatised business owners and workers.

There has been a 400 per cent increase in ram raids in five years - and 76 per cent of those being caught are under the age of 18, RNZ reported in July.

Poverty and other complex factors are being blamed for the increase in ram raids committed by youths, including truancy numbers, which have been steadily declining since 2015, according to a report released this year.

Youth worker Aaron Hendry said restorative justice is the appropriate action for helping these kids stay out of trouble.

"Restorative justice actually works, young people are allowed to take responsibility for their actions, reflect on why they made those decisions in the first place and then receive support so it doesn't happen again in the future."