Meanwhile, police have managed to find and deal with eight teens in relation to crimes in Hillsborough, Newmarket, and Manurewa. Other jewellery heists in Onehunga and St Lukes and a second incident in Newmarket are still being investigated.
Detective Inspector Glen Baldwin said most of the arrests were a result of seven search warrants executed in the past five days.
Police arrested a 17-year-old after executing a warrant at an address in Glendene this morning. He was arrested in connection with the incident in Hillsborough on April 25.
A 12-year-old was found at the address and arrested over an unrelated matter.
Police had already arrested another 17-year-old over the Hillsborough incident.
Police have charged three teens aged between 17 and 18 in connection with the Newmarket incident on April 12.
Police were trying to find other people they believed were involved. They were also trying to find others connected to an incident in Manurewa.
Baldwin said he was proud of the progress his team had made so far.
“Further arrests are anticipated as the team continues to assess and analyse evidence seized during a number of search warrants that have been executed,” he said.
Baldwin said police would continue to be visible in and around shopping malls to deter this sort of crime.
“To date, our teams have conducted hundreds of patrols and are visible in our communities,” he said.
“The community deserves better than to be subject to this concerning and unacceptable incidents and we hope the work our team has executed to date is an example that we are taking this type of crime seriously.”
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
