Police in South Auckland are trialling a new scheme they hope will deter young burglars from reoffending.
The Adopt a Burglar initiative is aimed at the significant portion of dishonesty offences being committed by young men.
Counties Manakau district commander Superintendent John Timms says the initiative came from a pilot scheme in Papatoetoe where about 80 young men with a history of burglaries were identified and assigned officers.
Mr Timms says officers visit the men and talk to them about why and how they are committing crime, and add the information to a bigger picture to prevent burglaries happening.
