Robbers again raid office

Burglars have targeted Porirua Emergency Management Office for the second time in less than six weeks, making off with the only laptop left and at least six UHF radios.

The burglars broke in on the night of Sunday, March 25, evading the Serlby Pl office’s alarm system, which was installed the day after the first burglary on February 16. The burglars got in a similar way, smashing a small side window on the second-storey office.

In February, the burglary was a quick grab-and-run, but on Sunday the burglars went through every drawer and cupboard, Porirua Emergency Management officer Kerry Mcsaveney said.

‘‘They were definitely smarter this time.’’

In February, five laptops, two cameras, a GPS system and other emergency equipment were stolen. That gear had yet to be replaced.

The stolen radios are tuned to emergency channels, but not police frequencies, Ms Mcsaveney says.

‘‘They could use them to communicate between themselves to plan something nefarious but that’s all,’’ she says.

Unlike cellphones they cannot be traced to a location.

Police doubt the same burglars are responsible for both break-ins, although entry was gained both times from the top of a shipping container under the office’s window, Porirua police analyst Warwick Gibbs says. The container’s owners have been asked to move it.

Police have been unable to identify the hooded youths involved in the first burglary from security camera footage recorded at Porirua Railway Station and have not recovered any of the stolen goods.