Kapiti and Masterton Police have arrested a man in connection to a number of burglaries committed in Kapiti, Pukerua Bay and Masterton areas over the last two months.
Handbags and wallets were mainly targeted, giving the offender access to cash and bank cards, which were used at ATM machines to withdraw the victims’ money. The offender would usually discard the remaining property near the place he stole it.
The offender committed the offences during the hours of darkness, and was known to enter insecure addresses and vehicles to steal property while occupants were in the house.
The 40 year old Upper Hutt man appears in the Porirua District Court today charged with 11 burglaries. Further burglary and fraud charges will be laid at a later date.
A visiting South African rugby team must have felt they were on a hiding to nothing after first losing their match against the Chiefs and then having their hotel rooms burgled but some fast work by Hamilton Police saw the final whistle blown on the thief.
Several rooms occupied by the visiting Lions Super 14 team’s rooms were broken into on Saturday night with cash and personal property amongst items stolen.
Detective Sergeant Dave Grace said within an hour of being notified of the break-in detectives were banging on a suspect’s door with a search warrant in hand.
“A hotel staff member was identified as the person responsible for the theft and a search of his home resulted in the majority of items being recovered. Police received nothing other than excellent cooperation from the hotel company in this matter.
“We were able to affect a quick arrest in this case owing to the hotel’s existing security procedures at the hotel and the management’s relationship with Police.
Mr Grace said the Lions team had travelled to Auckland to prepare for their next match and were delighted to hear of the quick arrest and recovery of their property.
“Albeit the victims of crime the team’s spokesman said they were impressed with the speed of New Zealand’s Police and Hamilton detectives in particular,” said Mr Grace.
“We will return the team’s possessions over the next couple of days and we hope the prompt arrest of the thief goes someway to allaying any concerns they may have about Hamilton as a place to visit.”
A 23-year-old Hamilton student was bailed on a charge of burglary and further charges are likely.
Daytime Burglaries In Central Christchurch
New Zealand Police Canterbury News Release
Christchurch Central police are concerned about the number of burglaries occurring during the day when the occupants are still at home.
Acting Senior Sergeant Philip Dean says that there has been a notable increase over the last three weeks of people having items stolen from within their houses while they have been in a different part of the house or in the garden.
In one incident the front door had been left open for the cat while occupants were upstairs; in another a backpack was taken through an open door.
Philip Dean says that most of us put our keys and wallet down on the nearest table as we walk in at home.
“Don’t leave items where they are easy to reach; remember someone can be in and out of your house without you hearing a thing,” he says. “If you have a household appliance working you’ll hear less and you’ll be distracted. Lock doors even when you are at home to reduce yourself from becoming a victim of this type of crime.”
Statistics show that about 20% of burglaries are committed while people are at home.
BLENHEIM BURGLAR ARRESTED STATEMENT ISSUED BY ARMOURGUARD GENERAL MANAGER IAN ANDERSON
“Armourguard appreciates the work done by the New Zealand Police enquiry team that was responsible for apprehending the offender involved in the burglary of its Blenheim premise earlier this year.
“The sheer commitment of the Police to the job of finding the offender coupled with outstanding forensic skills and solid detective work was exemplary.
“Since the theft we have carried out further extensive reviews of our processes and procedures to identify additional checks and measures that can be put in place to safeguard against this type of thing from occurring again.”
A 20 year old man has appeared in court for a number of burglaries in South Christchurch including several in Ashgrove Tce.
He has been charged with eight burglaries, Driving while disqualified and unlawfully on a property.
Senior Sergeant Steve Kelly says that police stopped a vehicle last week and located three lap tops plus other items which linked him to a number of burglaries.
Senior Sergeant Kelly says that there have been a lot of burglaries in southern suburbs recently and people should be on the look out for anyone acting suspiciously, keep an eye on their neighbours and keep their houses secure when they are out or working in the garden round the back.