Police battle burglary epidemic

phillipa.yalden@fairfaxmedia.co.nz

Burglary rates across the Waikato have risen by more than a thousand offences in the last year, sparking a major crackdown by police.

And it’s working – Waikato burglary numbers are dropping as a consequence.

In the three months since the operation launched in May, more than 200 thieves have been arrested.

And some offenders – as young as 12 – are prolific, racking up more than a dozen charges each.

Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Ambler, who’s head of Hamilton police’s Tactical Crime Unit, said about 150 burglaries a week are being committed across the Waikato police district, which stretches from the tip of the Coromandel to the King County.

About 50 of those are daytime burglaries of people’s homes.

‘‘Dishonesty is obviously a big problem – the scope of what we are dealing with is large,’’ Ambler said.

‘‘When we started this operation, there were about 160 offences a week. We have driven it down to 115 offences.’’

Police figures released by Statistics NZ show an 18 per cent increase in burglaries in the region in the last two years – up from 6372 offences in 2015 to 7494 burglary reports in the year to June 2016. That’s more than 20 thefts a day.

Of the 218 arrested since May, most were prolific offenders, Ambler said.

‘‘These guys tend to be on active charges – under court conditions and still committing crimes.’’

One 15 year old was on 24-hour curfew when he allegedly committed a spate of ram raids on commercial properties targeting cigarettes.

A 33-year-old man arrested in Hamilton East is facing eight counts of burglary, which could increase to as many as 20 as police sift through a mound of property stolen in the Hillcrest and Hamilton East area.

‘‘It’s a single person, operating alone, and there is no suggestion he is working with anyone else – but clearly offending at a horrific rate.’’

In Waihi, a man is facing 14 charges after police searched a Galbraith Street home and found a large amount of drugs and drug utensils.

Under the new reporting tool, burglaries included everything from home break-ins and car thefts to a goat being shoved through the window of a Coromandel home.

Ambler was unable to pinpoint a particular trigger for the rise, but said contributors are a growing population and better roads that aid ‘‘cross border offending’’, where thieves travel both in and out of other districts to commit crimes.

Copycat burglars are also using YouTube to gain tips on how to commit ram raids, he said.

‘‘People who are dishonest will commit crime depending on the opportunity.

‘‘Don’t wait until you have been burgled to increase your security. Put stickers on your house, make sure alarms are on, gates are shut, windows are closed and doors are locked.’’

‘‘CCTV footage is invaluable and affordable.’’