Senior Sergeant Phil Newton said 41 motorised scooters had been reported stolen so far this year, most from the University of Canterbury and Christchurch Hospital.
It seems children as young as 10 and teenagers were the ones taking them, Snr Sgt Newton told RNZ.
Snr Sgt Newton, who is the Canterbury police community operations co-ordinator, said it wasn't an isolated trend.
He said moped thefts were rising globally and told Stuff he believed teens were being encouraged on social media to take them.
“When you look across the board, especially in youth, a trend in one part of the country quickly spreads nationwide via social media. But it’s not just in New Zealand. It’s an international trend.”
Although 41 mopeds had been reported stolen, the number was likely to be higher due to victims not reporting the thefts.
“We know from security staff and footage that mopeds are being stolen but they’re not being reported.”
Snr Sgt Newton told Stuff he had concerns about the safety of the people stealing and using the scooters.
“There’s more injuries per kilometre as a motorcycle rider than there is for those in vehicles.
"So there’s some real danger there because some of that riding isn’t safe … Somebody’s going to get hurt.”
Police were now focused on educating moped users about the steps they could take to ensure they did not become the next victim, Snr Sgt Newton said.
This included locking, chaining and covering motorised scooters.
Snr Sgt Newton also suggests getting a disc lock to secure the front brake disc, a grip lock to secure brake and throttle controls and threading a chain lock through the back wheel.
