Police find missing bootcamp teens
Sunday, 8 December 2024
Police have found two teenagers who were on the run after participating in the Government’s first military-style bootcamp academy.
It is reported the pair were involved in an incident in Hamilton on Saturday where four people were taken into custody.
The pair will appear before the youth court.
Police have found two teenagers, who have been on the run just weeks after leaving the Government’s first military-style “bootcamp”.
One of the teenagers escaped the custody of Oranga Tamariki staff on Tuesday while attending the funeral of another former bootcamp participant, who died in a car crash. Stuff understands the absconding teenager then caught up with another ex-bootcamp participant, and successfully evaded police for four days.
Police arrested both teenagers on Saturday, a spokesperson said. They were arrested in Hamilton alongside two other teenagers and face charges of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle. They are set to appear at the Youth Court.
Children’s Minister Karen Chhour said, on Sunday, that it was “disappointing” to see the teenagers allegedly re-offending while still participating in the community-based sentence of the new military-style bootcamp programme.
“While the circumstances are disappointing, I am relieved they have been found,” she said.
But Chhour defended the bootcamp, even as a number of the original 10 participants have gone on to re-offend within weeks of leaving the youth justice facility.
“The Military-style academy pilot programme is a pilot programme. It consisted of a three-month in-residence stay, then another nine months back out in the community, with mentor support,” she said.
“We’ve already seen successes with this pilot, including involvement for the participants in jobs, education and training.”
Oranga Tamariki refused to comment about the arrests over the weekend.
But police confirmed the teenagers were arrested in Hamilton after a serious incident that saw a person carrying a machete attempt to carjack a member of the public.
The incident unfolded at about midday on Saturday, after a police officer spotted a vehicle driving on Cobham Drive with a smashed window and four occupants wearing masks and gloves.
Within a short time, police established the Toyota Corolla had been reported stolen.
The driver of the vehicle allegedly fled after being signalled to stop by police, but the vehicle was eventually spiked, police said.
The occupants fled on foot. The driver allegedly tried to carjack another vehicle while holding a machete.
The member of the public was able to drive away before the alleged offender could enter the car.
Police then arrested three suspects nearby and a fourth was located by a police dog unit.
Police recovered knives, machetes, and balaclavas from the offenders.
Enquiries are ongoing, including whether any of the four have links to a number of car thefts and aggravated robberies in Hamilton in recent days.
A 15-year-old has been charged with escaping custody, aggravated failing to stop, dangerous driving, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, and possession of an offensive weapon.
Three others, two aged 15 and one 16, face charges of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.
Three will appear in the Hamilton Youth Court on Monday, with a fourth appearing on Wednesday.
On Friday it was revealed that a youth offender was on-the-run after escaping from two Oranga Tamariki supervisors while attending the funeral of another teenage boy in OT care.
A second teenager left a separate facility the next day.
Both boys had been released from bootcamp in October and were in the community phase.
In November, Children’s Minister Karen Chhour said one of the 10 teenagers who took part in the first military-style boot camp had allegedly re-offended, just a few weeks after leaving the facility.
The teenage boy was still serving a community sentence when the alleged re-offence took place.
At the time, Chhour said she remained confident the bootcamps were proving successful.