Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
More than three-quarters of police proceedings for ram raids over the past five years have been commenced against offenders younger than 18 years old, according to information released under the Official Information Act recently.
The data also shows that nearly half of police proceedings for aggravated robberies between January 2019 and April 2024 have been commenced against offenders younger than 18 years old.
The data released in July separates young offenders into three categories: those aged less than 10 years old, those aged between 10 and 13, and those aged 14 to 17.
Ram raids
The number of proceedings police launched against male offenders aged between 14 and 17 on charges related to robbery and burglary in ram raids at retail locations grew more than fourfold in five years through the end of 2023.
Police data shows 93 proceedings were launched against male offenders aged between 14 and 17 on charges related to robbery and burglary in ram raids at retail locations in 2019. By comparison, 404 proceedings were commenced against the same cohort in 2023.
The figures show a sharp spike in cases in 2022, when 402 proceedings were launched. Two hundred and twenty-nine proceedings were launched the previous year.
The statistics were more striking for male offenders aged between 10 and 13, with police failing to launch any proceedings against male offenders in this age group for robbery or burglary in ram raid occurrences at retail locations in 2019. However, this figure peaked at 67 in 2022 before declining to 55 last year.
Police data shows that 582 proceedings were carried out against offenders of all age groups for robbery or burglary in ram raid occurrences at retail locations in 2023. Offenders aged less than 18 years old accounted for 84% of these cases, a percentage that has been fairly consistent since 2020 after climbing from 76 percent in 2019.
Police noted that offenders could have faced other offences such as receiving stolen property or vehicle theft, but these were not included in the data that was shared.
Aggravated robberies
The second set of data released by police detailed proceedings against offenders for aggravated robbery at retail locations over the past five years.
Male offenders aged between 14 and 17 comprised accounted for nearly half the proceedings launched against offenders for aggravated robbery at retail locations since the beginning of 2019.
And this figure appears to have increased since that time, with 169 proceedings launched against male offenders in this age group for aggravated robbery at retail locations in 2019. Climbing steadily over the years, police data shows that 281 proceedings were launched against the same cohort for aggravated robbery at retail locations last year.
What's more, police data shows that 117 proceedings have already been launched against male offenders aged between 14 and 17 for aggravated robbery in the first quarter of this year.
The number of male offenders aged between 10 and 13 has also risen steadily over the past five years, climbing from 10 in 2019 to 65 last year.
Police data shows that 576 proceedings were carried out against offenders of all age groups for aggravated robbery in 2023. Offenders aged less than 18 years old accounted for 66% of these cases, a percentage that has hovered between 42 and 54 percent since 2019.
Police noted that proceedings launched against offenders for aggravated robbery included at least one robbery or burglary offence.
"These figures may differ to figures published elsewhere for proceedings where official statistics are classified according to the most serious offence that the offender is dealt with on that occasion," said Zane Kearns, acting director of performance and data at New Zealand Police.