Burglaries have widespread effect

Burglaries – intrusive, resource intensive and difficult to resolve – are affecting more than 170 New Zealanders every day.

A small cohort of offenders can make a visible difference to burglary statistics, with Wellington police saying a recent lock-up has dented burglary numbers.

Across the country, a total of 65,138 burglary victimisations were counted for the year ending June 2019. The numbers capture a broader range of theft than might be expected, and show most occur in residential homes in the early afternoon.

Acting Detective Sergeant Mike Alexander said that two weeks ago there was a spike in burglaries in Wellington city, which ended when police picked up a man ‘‘prolific’’ for the crime.

Such regular culprits are well known – Alexander can count 30-40 names he knows. Commonly there are ‘‘patterns’’ – a large number of burglaries which abate with an arrest.

‘‘They go pretty hardcore, because I think they know they’ll be caught eventually.’’

Wellington was somewhat unique in that burglars travelled from the surrounding region, into the city for its ‘‘target rich’’ area, he said. ‘‘There’s no shortage of demand for our resource.’’

The detective is part of the tactical crime unit (TCU), a team of 10 that deals with ‘‘volume crime’’, or dishonesty offending, for Wellington city. ‘‘It’s an invasion of [a victim’s] privacy and it is quite daunting. For some people, going home never feels the same,’’ Alexander said.

When police respond to a burglary, an initial report is taken, then added to by a scene of crime officer, who dusts for prints and collects any other evidence.

An intelligence team then surveys each report, and filters any with tangible evidence to the TCU to pursue.

Police have previously been tasked with attending 98 per cent of burglaries within 48 hours, a measure nearly achieved (at 91 per cent) in the year 2017-18.

But a response doesn’t equal a resolution. The same year, 13 per cent of burglaries were cleared but neared the target of 15 per cent that police set.

In a given week, Wellington detectives might have as many as 150 cases on their books – this doesn’t include Hutt Valley, Porirua or Ka¯ piti.

The reporting standard is broad. Of the 170 victimisations per day, this could include a garden gnome stolen from a front lawn. Thefts from motor vehicles don’t count, unless they are motorhomes.

Alexander said rehabilitation of convicted burglars remained a question. He continued to see the same people leave jail and break into homes. ‘‘For career burglars, every time they get locked up they’ll learn for the next time ... Clearly they don’t have support around them when they get out.’’

Victim Support Auckland area manager Wilson Irons said burglaries, no matter what was taken, could trouble a person.

‘‘We had a burglary of someone’s letterbox – minor. But the problem was, the owner of the letterbox was an 86-year-old woman.

‘‘It wasn’t the first time, it was the fifth or the sixth ... it was kids basically.

‘‘What she began to do, was retrench herself in her home … she was worried they were out to get her.’’

Irons said 20-30 burglary victims required Victim Support assistance in a week, and each person responded differently.