Twenty-five people have been arrested, three stolen cars found and 11 cars impounded as vehicle crimes are put under the microscope in South Auckland this week.
The localised Operation Focus netted the results last night - its first night - as Counties Manukau police targeted the growing number of car crimes in the district.
Continuing tonight, Operation Focus will again see an increased police presence across the region - that runs from Howick to Franklin - as well as linking up with police from other districts.
Preliminary numbers release to the New Zealand Herald revealed 25 arrests were made, three stolen vehicles were recovered and 11 cars were impounded.
A police spokeswoman said the arrests were made up of dishonesty offenders who had outstanding arrest warrants for crimes including burglary and breach of bail.
Throughout the operation, police will be at motorway on-ramps and on main arterial routes carrying out mandatory checks on commonly stolen vehicles.
Inspector Bruce O'Brien of Counties Manukau Police says car crime continues to be a major issue for the district.
"In the last three months more than 900 vehicles were stolen in Counties Manukau.
"Our intelligence tells us that offenders involved with vehicle crime and burglaries are increasingly moving around the Auckland metro districts committing these offences.
"This operation aims to prevent the offending before it happens."
A large amount of bail checks will also be carried out on offenders with known links to vehicle crime and burglary.
Mr O'Brien said the public's help was crucial to reducing vehicle crime.
"We all have a role to play in reducing car crime - if we all do our bit to watch out for suspicious activity, we can make a big difference and significantly reduce the number of victims of crime in our community."
Car hit list
The most commonly stolen cars in South Auckland are:
* Mazda Demio
* Mazda Atenza
* Nissan Cefiro
* Nissan Primera
* Toyota Hiace
* Subaru Forester
* Subaru Legacy
* Subaru Impreza
(Source: Counties Manukau Police)
