Christmas burglars out in force

Aroha Bray now has a burglar alarm after being hit by thieves not once, but twice. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Rotorua houses are being targeted by light-fingered "shoppers" but police warn there are a few simple steps residents can take now to make it to Christmas safely.

There have been 115 residential burglaries in the past six weeks and police expect that number to increase during the coming weeks as "lazy" people think it is their right to steal others' hard-earned possessions, local police say.

Neighbourhood Support, which works closely with local police and collates residential burglary figures, says the Glenholme, Hillcrest and Victoria suburbs of Rotorua have been the worst hit during the past few weeks.

Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Bruce Quedley said that during the six weeks to December 13, there had been 115 residential burglaries in Rotorua. The week starting November 2 there were 19 burglaries, 23 the following week, 16 the next, 22 the next, 15 the week starting November 30 and 20 the week starting December 7.

"At this time of year there is definitely an increase and it's mainly opportunists," Mr Quedley said.

Senior Sergeant Malcolm Collins of the Rotorua police said Christmas could be a depressing time of year for police as they heard the heartbreaking stories from people who had lost their hard-earned possessions.

Mr Collins said there were several things people could do to prevent burglaries.

One of the biggest problems was people not locking their doors and windows, he said.

He said residents shouldn't be afraid to call police if they noticed something wasn't right.

"We will drop things and go to that. We would rather find an owner's son who has forgotten to take a key climbing in a window than a person stealing someone's prized possession."

Rotorua woman Aroha Bray knows only too well that thieves are on the prowl. She's recently been burgled not once, but twice - and in just five days.

About $8000 worth of goods were stolen from the two burglaries, which she described as frightening.

"You come home and get a huge fright. It's a huge invasion of your privacy because you have an emotional attachment to your belongings."

The first burglary was on Friday, October 30 at night and the second on Wednesday, November 4 between 8.15am when she left for work and 10am when her partner returned home to meet a plumber.

"The burglars broke window security stays and ripped a screen door to access the property." A security alarm would have prevented the burglaries and she now had one installed. "I am now a lot more conscious of ensuring everything is locked up securely and we set the alarm every time we go out."

Tips to stay burglary-free

* Make sure your house, vehicles, sheds and garages are secured at all times and use effective catches and locks.

* Don't leave a spare door key hidden outside.

* Invest in an alarm and security lighting.

* Mark your property so it can be easily identified if recovered

* Make a list of property and record serial numbers

* Take photos of unique items such as jewellery and ornaments