Arrests over EV charger, cable thefts in Wellington's Hutt Valley

Police say two men have been arrested following a spate of EV charger and cable thefts in Wellington's Hutt Valley last month.

They said the Hutt Valley region had seen up to 16 reports of charger theft during May but - further about the Wellington region - EV users were also complaining of damage to chargers.

Inspector Shaun Lingard said two men, aged 37 and 39, were arrested after a search of a Naenae property found six chargers, several charger cables and equipment to break the devices down into parts for selling on.

He said a review of CCTV camera footage compiled by Hutt City Council was used to link the men to the offending.

"Police have been investigating these thefts at pace and working to build a picture of the offending. We expect these arrests will make a significant impact in terms of the offending we have been seeing in the Hutt Valley, and this should send a message to anyone else thinking EV chargers are an easy target," Lingard said.

He said the chargers hit were a mixture of council owned infrastructure and chargers owned by private companies intended for public use.

"The thefts were hugely frustrating for the owners, as well as for those members of the public trying to utilise these services," Lingard said.

This week Meridian principal product manager Tim Calder told RNZ nearly half of the provider's 20 locations in the Wellington region had been hit by vandalism.

He said the company was reviewing CCTV footage and working alongside authorities to get to the bottom of the damage while the chargers were being repaired.

"We're doing everything we can to get these sites back up and running," Calder said.

Meanwhile in the capital's southern suburbs, EV owner Tessa - who did not want her full name used - said she was being forced to travel 20 minutes from her home in Island Bay to find the nearest non-damaged charger.

Tessa said the three chargers nearest to her home - in Island Bay, Newtown, and Berhampore - had all been damaged and she was worried the vandalism could put people off getting an EV.

"Who's to say this isn't going to happen again? You know, these companies are going to spend a huge amount of money replacing them," she said.

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