In May, 162 young offenders were dealt with by police in the city. The number of youth offenders has remained high since, with police dealing with about 100 a month.
The Police Air Support Unit, based in Auckland, will be deployed to Christchurch from tomorrow for two months and used on occasion.
Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said in a statement today that police were using all available resources to tackle the recent rise in crime.
“In addition to Eagle’s deployment, we’re also boosting the capability of the Youth Targeting Team with extra staff.
“Serious offences should be met with serious consequences, and we want our community to know that we are bringing in every available resource to help keep them safe," he said.
“We understand there is a lot of frustration among the community following recent offending, and we hear you. This operation is being launched to disrupt offending patterns, hold offenders to account and deter any further offending.”
On Tuesday, a worker at the Opawa Rd Dairy was seriously injured by a young person during an aggravated robbery.
A 14-year-old has been arrested and police were looking for others involved.
“We know the impact this has on business owners and their staff, Supt Hill said.
"Nobody should turn up to work in fear of becoming the next victim of this violent offending.
“Our message to the youths involved is simple, you can expect action to be taken if you are committing offences.”
Police would continue to work with partner agencies to prevent any further harm to the community.
"We continue to urge anybody who witnesses any criminal offending to contact police by calling 111 if it is happening now, or 105 if it is after the fact."
Supt Hill said on Sunday two boys were arrested in connection with a string of aggravated robberies, one of which saw another dairy worker attacked with a spanner.
Two other businesses - in Blighs Rd in Strowan and Clyde Rd in Riccarton - were also targeted on Sunday.
Two boys aged 13 were facing three counts of aggravated robbery.
- Allied Media
