Bedroom burgled while woman slept
An intruder stole Jo Shears’ wedding rings from her dresser beside her bed.
A Napier woman lay asleep as a brazen intruder stole her wedding rings from the dresser in her bedroom. Jo Shears is urging Hawke’s Bay residents to shut their windows each night, no matter how hot it is, as reports of opportunistic burglaries continue over summer. In the early hours of Monday someone forced their way into Shears’ Marewa home and left with her chocolates, perfume bottles and money. But it is her irreplaceable wedding, engagement and eternity rings, as well as five other rings, which she is most devastated about. “I’m pretty fastidious about going round and locking up, and I had done so on Sunday night,” Shears said. “About 5.30am, I got up and went down and opened the dining room curtains and on the side one, which is to our front door, I noticed the window was open. “My heart sort of jumped a beat because I thought ‘When did I leave that open?’ and I very rarely open it.” She went back to sleep and only noticed after 9am that items were missing. It is unknown whether the intruder was still in her home when she first woke up — something which is unsettling for Shears. “It must have been at least first light, because he must have been able to see what he was getting.” While her husband was away at the time, her sister and daughter came to see her, saying “Thank goodness you stayed asleep because what would he have done if you were awake or woke up and disturbed him”. A police spokeswoman said inquiries were continuing and no arrests had been made. Senior Sergeant Clint Adamson said with the long days, warm weather and people leaving town this summer it was important residents secure their homes to deter burglars looking for “easy access”. “Burglars are largely opportunistic. Alarms will help discourage any burglar looking for easy entry. Locks on windows and doors can be effective, security signage, CCTV, alarms and sensor lights are all good. The harder we make it for them the less likely they are to target your street.” Adamson said people should call police straight away on 111 if they see anything criminal or suspicious at their home or a neighbours. “When reporting activity it’s helpful to take note of the number of people, clothing they wear, and any vehicles present. “Keep in contact with your neighbours, and let each other know if you notice anything unusual. Neighbourhood Support groups can be particularly useful for this purpose.”