Five youths with hammers and a machete arrested over several vehicle thefts in Hamilton

Five youths have been arrested in relation to several vehicle thefts and a fleeing driver incident in Hamilton early Monday morning.

Detective Senior Sergeant Terri Wilson said a member of the public alerted the police to two vehicles acting suspiciously on Ōhaupō Road, near Ōhaupō.

One of the vehicles, confirmed to be stolen, was abandoned by the occupants after it hit a barrier. Police located the vehicle and found hammers inside.

Det Snr Srg Wilson said the group continued on in a suspected stolen vehicle, which was spiked on Ōhaupō Road, Glenview at about 4:30am.

The vehicle came to a stop a short time later on Kahikatea Drive, Frankton.

Four offenders were taken into custody and a fifth attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended by officers.

A machete and a bag of coins were found in the second vehicle.

All five youths will appear on a range of charges in the Hamilton Youth Court on Monday.

"We want to thank the public for their ongoing assistance in reporting these matters and suspicious activity to police," Det Snr Srg Wilson said.

"We know that vehicle thefts are extremely concerning for our community.

"Police are committed to ensuring that those responsible for crimes such as this will be held to account."

Police would also like to remind the public to immediately report anything of concern to police by calling 111.