Mark Mitchell: Police Minister stresses importance of youth military academies following string of Auckland robberies - Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Police Minister says he's deeply concerned about the ages of robbers plundering Auckland jewellery stores.

In the past two weeks, at least five aggravated robberies have spanned Auckland - at Westgate, Newmarket, Onehunga and Manurewa.

Minister Mark Mitchell says in the most recent incident, the robbers were aged between nine and fourteen.

He says plans for youth military academies are a big part of their response.

"That's going to be targeted at those worst recidivist violent youth offenders, because at the end of the day,  we want to invest in these young people and try to get them back on the right track."

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