Oranga Tamariki says youth crime is not on the rise.

Children as young as seven have been involved in the spate of ram raids across the North Island in the past week.

There's been another raid in east Auckland early this morning, but it's unclear how old the perpetrators are.

Oranga Tamariki Director for Youth Justice Strategy Ben Hannifin told Heather Du Plessis Allan crimes like this are cyclical.

“Six months ago, fleeing drivers was a big thing. A year or so ago, it was aggravated robberies and our young people going into the dairies with weapons, and now with the fleeing drivers, it seems to be the same cohort are moving into driving those cars into shop fronts.”

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