Police priorities

The Herald reports:

Police suspect social media challenges are driving a spate of Mazda thefts in Taranaki.

A group of 30 teenagers – some as young as 13 – are believed to be responsible for stealing more than 100 cars of this brand since January.

The Mazda theft phenomenon first appeared in Taranaki in November and December, when up to 30 were stolen.

Since the start of the year, a total of 200 vehicles have been taken in the province – 108 of them Mazdas, many of the type usually referred to as “nana cars”. …

Given the age of the offenders, the overarching principle for police was safeguarding their wellbeing, Davie said.

Call me old fashioned but shouldn’t the overarching principle be protecting car owners from having their cars stolen, rather than the wellbeing of the offenders?