By Beck Vass
Burglars are stealing everything - including the kitchen sink - from homes being built in a Tauranga subdivision in a trend police say has become a "huge problem".
A 200kg fireplace, dishwashers, whole shower units and baths have been stolen from three new homes in Mayfield, near Bethlehem, this
week.
Builder's tools and kitchen sinks were also taken from the homes.
Police say burglaries in subdivisions in their early development stages have been steadily increasing over the past five years.
The areas are vulnerable because many are not inhabited and homes are not fully secure before homeware is installed.
"Over the years it has been a huge problem for us," Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair said.
With Tauranga's ongoing growth, there were several hundred homes under construction at any one time and they remained a constant issue for police, he said.
While community patrols targeted new areas, it wasn't possible to be everywhere at once, he said. "We rely on the public to tip us off for any suspicious activity around those building sites."
Police are urging people living near new subdivisions to keep watch and report any suspicious behaviour.
Senior Sergeant Carl Purcell said it was better to be safe than sorry and people should call police if they had any concerns. Police would rather be called to a false alarm than find out people ignored a potential burglary.
The Mayfield burglaries highlighted the vulnerability of new subdivisions and the need to make sure homes were secure while they were being built.
"One thing that was taken was a 200kg fireplace. It needed three people to actually put it in there, so it would have needed at least three or four to take it back out again."
A van, utility vehicle or truck would be needed to move such large objects and more than one person was probably involved, he said.
"It's just, I suppose, a wake-up call for builders as well as home owners to make sure things are secure as much as possible, but also for persons who are living in and around those areas to be aware of this."
Police were not sure where the stolen items ended up, but Mr Purcell said they were probably being on-sold.
