This week, with the help of the police in Hawke's Bay, we are publishing a series of features on how to combat the plague of burglaries the region suffers from.
I recommend reading this series as the features have plenty of commonsense tips on things you can do to make not
only your home safer from burglars but also to help make your neighbourhood a safer place in which to live.
I know what it is like to be the victim of burglary and even to have your car stolen from outside your house while you are sleeping.
Your privacy has been trampled upon, your home sanctuary invaded, someone has caused damage to your property and made off with your personal possessions.
No one is immune - even the Napier police crime prevention officer told Hawke's Bay Today that he had been the victim of burglary.
Burglary can leave us feeling violated.
It is not infrequent for children and the elderly to feel frightened in their own home as a result of a break-in.
And because burglary is a crime that is hard for police, with limited resources, to resolve, it often leaves victims feeling not only angry but also powerless.
In the past 12 months there were 2009 burglaries reported in Napier and Hastings. Of those, 318 were resolved.
That leaves 1691 instances that we know of in which criminals made off with someone else's property and got away with it.
There were an average of 2.8 burglaries every day in Hastings and 2.5 in Napier. We are high on the national scale for this crime.
Our series is not just about better security of your home and vigilance for potential burglars. Today, we are reporting on the issue of receivers of stolen goods.
As the police say, if it wasn't for receivers there wouldn't be burglars. That's a good point to bear in mind if you are ever offered goods at a bargain basement rate. If the offer sounds like a steal, it probably was.
If you see anything suspicious in your neighbourhood or are ever offered what you suspect are stolen goods, you should phone the Crimestoppers line on 0800 555111.
