Ram-raiding is a type of

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...

in which a heavy vehicle is driven into the windows or doors of a building, usually a

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

or jeweller's shop, to allow the perpetrators to loot it.

Etymology

The

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

notes that the earliest known usage of the compound noun ''ram raid'' dates from 1987. It first appeared in the ''

Evening Chronicle The ''Evening Chronicle'', now referred to in print as ''The Chronicle'', is a daily newspaper produced in Newcastle upon Tyne covering North regional news, but primarily focused on Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounding area. The ''Evening Chronic ...

'', a

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

newspaper. The noun ''ram-raider'' also comes from the same newspaper, also in 1987. That dictionary also notes that the term ''ram-raiding'' was used as a noun by ''PR Newswire'' in 1990, while the term ''ram-raid'' was used as a verb by the ''Independent'' newspaper of London in 1991. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary notes that the term ''ram-raiding'' is a noun of British origin. The Collins English Dictionary notes the term can be spelt using a space, as in ''ram raid'', or using a hyphen, as in ''ram-raid'' and indicates these terms can be used as both nouns and verbs. It also describes ''ram-raiding'' as a present participle of ''ram-raid''. Also it notes that the plural form is ''ram-raids'' or ''ram raids'', while derived forms of ''ram-raider'' or ''ram raider'', ''ram-raiding'' or ''ram raiding'' also exist as nouns.

Definition

Whichever term is used, the act involves using a vehicle to break into and gain entry into premises, or attempt to do so, usually to steal the contents. In most jurisdictions the act is considered a type of

, or

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

, as few jurisdictions have defined the act as a specific criminal offence.

Overview

The term came into widespread use after a series of such raids in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland, in 1979 that was covered in news reports and in countries such as Australia and New Zealand that inspired a series of similar crimes. Notably, large trucks are used to break into technology companies and steal high-value equipment for resale on the

black market A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...

. Commercial properties in areas prone to ram-raids often erect barriers or obstructions, such as

bollard A bollard is a sturdy, short, vertical post. The term originally referred to a post on a ship or quay used principally for mooring boats. In modern usage, it also refers to posts installed to control road traffic and posts designed to pre ...

s, to discourage such attacks.

Automated teller machine An automated teller machine (ATM) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables customers of financial institutions to perform financial transactions, such as cash withdrawals, deposits, funds transfers, balance inquiries or account ...

s are also targets of ram-raiding, with criminals smashing the machines to steal cash boxes. Many companies have come up with solutions to ram-raiding. Everything from electronic bollards to electronic barriers has been employed to keep property from the raiders. Another solution is

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, factory guard, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) ...

s, but round-the-clock teams are expensive and often not the most economical way of dealing with ram-raiding.

In New Zealand

Ram raiding has been seen as becoming an epidemic in New Zealand during the 2020s. In July 2022,

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...

reported a 400% increase in ram raids between 2017 and 2022; with 76% of those arrested being under the age of 18 years and 14% having connections to organised crime. Key driving factors included the influence of

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

, dysfunctional family backgrounds, lack of role models, and poverty. Most vehicles used in ram-raids are used ex-Japan models such as the

Mazda Demio The is a subcompact/ supermini/ B-segment small car manufactured by Mazda since 1996. While sold across four generations in the domestic Japanese market, the Demio nameplate was rarely used outside of Japan, where it was usually called the Maz ...

, Mazda Atenza, Nissan Tiida and Toyota Aqua; these cars are easy to steal due to Japan's low crime rate and therefore low uptake of anti-theft measures such as immobilisers. The New Zealand Police took enforcement action against 37% of the ram raids; with 61% of offenders being prosecuted and another 39% being referred to youth agencies. In 2022 alone, police recorded 516 ram raids and apprehended 708 offenders; with 495 being under 17 years, 70 under 13 years, and 88 being adults. In response to ram raids, the Government allocated NZ$6,000,000 for the Police's Small Retailer Crime Prevention Fund in late August 2022. The fund allows stores to purchase protective equipment such as shatterproof glass, bollards, fog cannons, and roller doors to counter ram raids. By March 2023, over NZ$2,000,000 had been spent from the fund.

Police Commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

Andrew Coster expressed concern about police difficulty with prosecuting juvenile offenders.

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...

stated that the Labour Government preferred alternatives to incarcerating youths in order to reduce reoffending. By contrast, opposition ACT party leader David Seymour has advocated fitting youth offenders with ankle bracelets to counter ram-raids and robberies. Similarly, the opposition National Party leader Christopher Luxon has advocated sending young ram-raiders and other serious youth offenders to military-style boot camps. In late August 2023, the Labour Government introduced a new bill, the Ram Raid Offending and Related Measures Amendment Bill, which seeks to add ram-raiding and other "smash and grab" offenses to the

Crimes Act 1961 The Crimes Act 1961 is an act of New Zealand Parliament that forms a leading part of the criminal law in New Zealand. It repeals the Crimes Act 1908, itself a successor of the Criminal Code Act 1893. Most crimes in New Zealand are created by t ...

and give Police the power to prosecute juvenile ram raiders including 12 year olds. While the bill was supported by the Labour, National and ACT parties, it was opposed by the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

and

Te Pāti Māori (), also known as the Māori Party, is a left-wing political party in New Zealand advocating Māori people, Māori rights. With the exception of a handful of New Zealand electorates#Electorates in the 53rd Parliament, general electorates, co ...

. In November 2023,

Newshub ''Newshub'' (stylised as Newshub.) was a New Zealand news service that operated from 1989 to 2024 and served as the local news division of Warner Bros. Discovery New Zealand until its closure. The division, known as ''3 News'' until 2016, had ...

reported a gradual decline in ram raids in New Zealand throughout the year. Between January and September 2023, 407 ram raids were reported, compared with 707 in 2022. There were 33 reported ram raids in August 2023 and 28 in September. To counter ram-raiding, Police responses were managed at the district level and included significant investigations to identify and prosecute offenders. Police and other agencies were also trialling a strengthened multi-agency response in Auckland to address the causes of youth engaging in risky behaviour and offending. By November 2023, the Government had allocated NZ$6 million from the Proceeds of Crime Fund to counter ram raids such as installing bollards and other security for small retailers. In June 2024, RNZ reported that ram raids in New Zealand had declined from a peak of 433 in 2022 to 288 in 2023, citing Police figures. 67 ram raids were also reported in the first four months of 2024. There were 12 ram raids in April 2024 compared with 64 in April 2023. 70% of identified ram raiders were aged between 14 and 17 years while 12% were aged between 10 and 13 years.

References

External links