Otūmoetai toy library manager 'devastated' after burglary

Otūmoetai toy library manager Merina Foster turned up to work on April 30 and found the library had been burgled. Photo / Supplied

Otūmoetai toy library has been left "devastated" after about $2000 worth of items and cash was stolen.

A computer, a Bluetooth speaker and the library's cash box was taken, manager Merina Foster said.

Police confirmed they received a report on April 30 of a burglary at a location on Bureta Rd in Otūmoetai.

Foster said she turned up to work on the morning of April 30 and found one of the doors was open and "snapped out of its frame".

When she walked inside, she was "overwhelmed" by a cigarette smell and noticed there was "black ash powder" on her desk. She also saw a scarf on the ground.

"Then [I] looked under my desk and noticed that the computer was missing and the cash box was open and then realised we'd been burgled.

"My heart just sank - I was really devastated."

Otūmoetai toy library manager Merina Foster. Photo / Supplied

Foster reported the incident to the police. She did not know of any burglaries that had happened in the past at the library.

She said the library had 126 members with 157 children actively hiring toys. Members could join the library and borrow toys for two weeks at a time.

"The value for the children is just huge - there's a lot of kids out there that don't have a lot of toys.

"That's why mums and parents will join up so they can give toys to their children on a regular basis."

Foster said the toys were "really good quality" and educational.

"They will help them educational-wise, entertainment-wise [to] keep them off the screens, it's a huge value to the community."

A member says the library is a "fabulous resource" in the community. Photo / Supplied

Otūmoetai resident and library member Belinda Barnes said it was a "fabulous resource" in the community and it was "such a shame" it had been burgled.

"It's really good because it reduces our carbon footprint ... the kids will play with the toys for two weeks and then we take them back and you don't have to worry about all the clutter of lots of toys that they'll like for five seconds and then want to get rid of them."

A police spokeswoman said the burglary occurred at some time between April 28 and 30.

Police had attended and conducted a scene examination. No arrests had been made in relation to the matter, the spokeswoman said.

Anyone who has any information about the incident or the people involved should call 105 and quote file 220430/1290. You can also give information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.