Thirteen people have been arrested and 45 shopping trolleys returned to their stores after a three-day police operation targeting public safety in Rotorua’s CBD.
Operation Trolley was executed between January 21 and January 23, with police focusing on enforcing the illegal actions of people using or having possession of shopping trolleys outside of their respective stores.
Police said that while “being homeless is not a crime in and of itself”, officers had recently received reports of intimidating behaviour by homeless people with trolleys towards members of the public.
“Any antisocial or unlawful behaviour will not be tolerated, and police is committed to ensuring anyone going about their lawful business in the CBD are safe and feel safe.”
Several people were identified to be using trolleys owned by retail stores for their own personal use without lawful authority.
Seven in possession of shopping trolleys were arrested for receiving an item worth less than $500 and were all given verbal warnings. Six others were arrested for historical offences including theft, assault, arrest warrants, bail breaches, and trespassing.
Forty-five trolleys in total were returned to their businesses by the end of the operation.
“Police also issued 19 trespass notices, trespassing individuals in possession of a trolley from the trolley’s respective store,” a spokesperson said.
“Homelessness is a social problem which requires a joint effort to address the underlying issues. Police works with a number of agencies to understand these issues, support the homeless, and collectively find homeless people long-term solutions.”
