Report all crime, but let pest control handle ants

It’s always surprising what people report and don’t report to the police.

Last night someone was sleeping in their bed and saw a hand holding a torch poking in their bedroom window, so they shut the window and went back to sleep. We were told a day later.

The day before someone reported to us that they had ants running out of control in their kitchen cupboards.

When to call 111, or tell us about the incident later can be difficult to decide. Often we hear that they didn’t want to bother us - or thought it wasn’t significant.

If a crime is happening right now then phone 111.

If you discover you have been the victim of a crime and the offenders are clearly gone, then phone your local station or call in during business hours. If you ring after business hours the call is diverted to Manukau Police Station where there is telephone operators 24 hours.

So someone trying to reach into your home is definitely a 111 call. If we get the call early we can cordon the area and use police dogs who can track the burglars’ scent if there’s not too much delay. If we are told 12 hours later we are on the back-foot.

If you hear an assault or domestic incident, that’s a 111 call. See someone with your stolen property, phone 111, discover your car gone, phone the police station. There are too many examples to cover but hopefully you get the idea.

But always report the crime - not matter how trivial you think it may be, or how busy you think we are. We are always arresting offenders for a string of crimes in the same street or area.

In the past week we’ve had a spike in thefts from cars in the Waiuku area overnight, some were locked some unlocked and they were mostly parked up driveways but with objects visible in them. Last night two young people were arrested for a handful of these offences.

What can you do to make your property safer? Don’t leave anything of value visible in the car, consider putting it in a garage or behind gates if you can. Sensor lights are a great deterrent.

In Pukekohe we’ve had someone active at night in the Paerata Rd area, looking for unlocked houses and sheds and stealing things like handbags from the house or objects of value outside. Lock your house and sheds at night and shut your windows.

If you are driving home or looking out your window and you see someone walking around late at night looking suspicious phone us, phone 111. Why? because it’s potentially a crime happening now or about to happen.

So if it’s happening now tell us now, if it’s happened at a unknown time or a few hours ago still tell us by phoning the local station, if it’s ants in your house call Pest Control.