Friday, 4 December 2015 - 11:54am |
Auckland City

Auckland Police focus on Christmas crime hot spots

1 min read

Getting your Christmas presents, yourself and your mates home safe is the focus of a Police operation in Auckland this weekend.

Extra Police staff have been rostered to work from tonight until Sunday morning and will be targeting identified crime hot spots over the first big shopping and party weekend before Christmas.

Police will be visible in areas where offences like theft from cars and burglaries are often more prevalent, including well known shopping centres and party spots.

Auckland City Area Commander, Inspector Jill Rogers, said the operation forms part of the city's regular crackdown on property crime but this time Police will be focussing more on areas that offenders target during the busy pre-Christmas period.

"We encourage all those who are out and about shopping or enjoying the Christmas spirit to keep themselves and their possessions safe and to ensure they get themselves home safely.

"We will be making our presence felt in big shopping areas but we remind people not to leave their purchases or any valuables on display in vehicles as that only provides opportunist thieves with chances to offend."

Key party spots will also be a focus of Police attention over the weekend.

"We know that a lot more people socialiase in the city and in their neighbourhoods over this period and we want them to have fun in a responsible way.  Make sure you have a plan to get home safely, don't get in your cars if you're drinking and avoid getting into vulnerable situations that others with criminal intent might take advantage of," Inspector Rogers said. 

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Issued by Tracie Simpson, Manager, Strategic Communications Auckland City District