Crime spree angers residents

There have been a spate of burglaries at Mount Maunganui recently.

Mount Maunganui residents are calling for action after a spate of burglaries and tyre slashings in the area during the past month.

Police say the numbers are normal, with 23 burglaries in the past month and three tyres slashed in the past week but residents have expressed concern about the frequency of the reports.

A Facebook post on Mount Maunganui Notice Board last week attracted more than 20 comments and more than 50 likes and calls for more to be done. Mount Maunganui resident Rosemary Bouverie said tyres on her husband's van had been slashed on October 12.

He had usually parked the vehicle on the corner of Oceanview Rd and Banks Avenue with no problems.

There were periods during Christmas and New Year where teenagers would get rowdy but they generally felt safe.

A Campbell Rd resident said they had lived in the area for five years and had been burgled three times over the last year.

"Just in the last year it has progressively got worse - the level of petty crime."

The resident said her family lived up a steep and narrow driveway but still had cars broken into, shoes stolen off the deck and bikes taken.

"It's petty crime but you cannot trust to leave anything out now, it has to be all locked up and we have had to spend thousands securing the property.

"We can't feel safe in our own home. It's minor issues but it is major at the same time, the police are not getting on top of it at all.

"We live in the seaside town, you would expect we could leave surfboards out and bikes along the driveways that you can clearly see is private property.

"We have become a community that is on edge. It's just becoming a lot like Auckland."

Senior Sergeant Deidre Lack said her records showed in the last month there had been about 23 burglaries, about 17 theft ex cars and three tyre slashings in the Mount Maunganui area. One tyre slashing incident occurred on Mount Maunganui Rd and two at Pitau St.

Ms Lack said the number of incidents was not out of the ordinary but police did prevention work 24 hours a day.

"When we get spate of something, whether it be tyre slashing or sudden upsurge of theft ex cars or burglaries, we task staff to go to that area and patrol it.

"Whether it be mobile patrols, or check points or tipping out cars or talking to the pedestrians, it's about about creating community assurance we are out there trying to find these people."

Ms Lack said none of the tyre slashings had been resolved and a lot of the theft ex cars had happened when drivers had left items in plain sight.

"An opportunist will see there is a cellphone, laptop or a wallet and break a window and grab it.

"Lock your cars and make them secure, put windows up and take all commodities out where they can't be seen."

Home security checklists

Before you go out:

All doors locked

Garage locked

All windows shut securely

Tools and ladders put away securely

Spare keys with neighbour (not hidden)