New approach credited for drop in ram-raids

Ram-raids dominated headlines and fuelled public outrage at their peak in 2022 and 2023 – but what has caused the sharp decline since then?

In Canterbury, there were 59 fewer ram-raids in 2024 than in 2023 – dropping from 84 to 25 – and only seven so far this year, up to September.

A large spike in the number of ram-raids in Canterbury first happened in 2022, jumping to 50 from 16 in 2021, just two in 2020 and 17 raids in 2019.

Nationwide, ram-raids surged to 410 in 2021, peaking at 714 in 2022 before falling to 496 in 2023, 210 in 2024, and 69 so far this year, up to September.

Canterbury metro commander Superintendent Lane Todd said police have “put a great deal of effort into preventing ram-raids and holding offenders to account”.

The spike in offending, and the youth of many offenders, sparked major public concern and became a key talking point leading up to the 2023 general election.

Before its election win, the National Party accused the Labour Government of being soft on crime and not doing enough to stop ram-raids.

Dairy and Business Owners Group chair Ankit Bansal credits the sharp decline to a new policing approach introduced after the change of government in 2023.

“The credit should go to the Government, the police and those at the Ministry of Justice who worked on this issue when it was at its peak,” Bansal said.

“Potential ram-raiders know that they will likely be caught. This is the single biggest deterrent for criminals and relies on the police aggressively pursuing ram-raiders.”

Todd said when ram-raids were at their worst, police districts established specialist teams and operations focused on ram-raids and aggravated robberies.

“For a time, ram-raids were very visible and disruptive in our communities and to the businesses we want to see thrive.”

Police also manage the Retail Crime Prevention Programme, launched in November 2022, which supports small retailers who have been victims of ram-raids or aggravated robberies.

The programme funds security interventions such as CCTV, bollards and fog cannons to help prevent further offending.

The introduction of police beat teams in July last year has also played a significant role in reducing the number of ram-raids, Todd said.

“Having a highly visible police presence helps to deter offending and it means police are also on hand for response.”

He said several police districts in larger centres have also established dedicated youth-targeting teams.

The new teams focus on high-risk youth offenders and help to apprehend them quickly.

“We are also trialling a programme to reform youth offenders at an early stage and this is also having a positive impact,” Todd said.