Police have charged two local men following an investigation into an armed robbery at the Waipapa Superette on 10th November 2018.

The men, aged 21 and 22 years, were arrested by Police following search warrants this morning in Okaihau and the nearby Rihari Settlement. The men attempted to avoid Police, with one of the males apprehended after allegedly trying to leave the address on horseback.

They have been charged with a variety of offences including aggravated robbery and for their alleged involvement in the theft of motor vehicles and recent burglaries in the area.

They will be appearing in the Kaikohe District Court tomorrow.

A 16 year old local Okaihau male has also been arrested today, for his alleged involvement as a getaway driver for the armed robbery of the Okaihau Liquor Store in September this year.

He faces a number of other more recent burglary and vehicle-related charges and will be appearing in court tomorrow.

Detective Senior Sergeant Rhys Johnston says the arrests were the result of several weeks of intensive investigation into the spate of recent offending.

“It’s great to see all these crimes solved and the alleged offenders located today. Both of these armed robberies were extremely dangerous events, putting people’s lives at risks. We’ve notified the victims of this update and they are pleased and relieved to hear news of the arrests.”

“This is another example of the great work shown by Police in Northland and demonstrates our commitment to finding those allegedly responsible for dangerous offending like this.

We want to reassure the community that we take these crimes seriously and our message to offenders is clear – we will do everything we can to hold you to account over your actions,” says Detective Senior Sergeant Johnston.

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