Takahue man disappointed at police 'apathy' over stolen property

Alex Harbuz says he wants to share his story as he believes a crime wave is occurring across the Far North. Photo/Alex Harbuz

More than a month after a man reported his trailer as stolen, police are yet to visit his property to investigate the matter.

Alex Harbuz, of Takahue, reported the crime to Kaitaia Police just after midnight on April 28, after witnessing thieves take off with his trailer.

Harbuz explained that he was about to go to bed when he noticed lights flashing along the isolated, steep track to his house.

"I got up, went outside and heard voices, then the sound of clanging, and realised thieves were stealing my trailer I had near my gate about 150m away," Harbuz said.

"I ran and got to within 40m of a nice 4wd circa 2000-2010 but could not see plates.

"The theft made a lot of noise as the jockey wheel wasn't raised and had shattered before it reached the road."

Harbuz said he felt awful after the incident as he lived on his own and was concerned about being re-targeted.

He said the uninsured trailer was mainly used to maintain his track, with the cost to replace it estimated at around $3000.

After reporting the crime to the police, Harbuz alleged he was told a crime officer would visit the next day.

According to Harbuz, that never happened.

He also offered a $250 reward on the Kaitaia Buy, Swap and Sell Facebook page for the return of the trailer or more information to help prosecute the thieves.

One month on, Harbuz says Kaitaia Police were yet to follow up.

"I asked again recently about the fingerprints but was told no, which I can't fathom as it's the evidence they need and takes relatively little time," he said.

"I'm guessing my case is of little concern to them, unfortunately, which is not great for PR when the public tries to assist police enquiries but are ignored.

"Many people I speak with complain of police apathy, especially those located rurally.

"I've even had people suggest that I should have shot at the offenders - it clearly indicates that police cannot be relied upon at times."

Harbuz said he wanted to share his story as he believed there was a crime wave occurring across the Far North.

He said with the rapidly spiralling cost of living, he was concerned others may be tempted to compromise their ethics.

According to Far North area response manager, senior sergeant Dan Williams, police were continually prioritising the deployment of their staff.

He said incidents involving a threat or use of violence against a person or property would continue to be attended to with greater urgency by frontline staff.

"We are always looking at the ways we can provide a better service to all our communities so that we meet their expectations," said Williams.

"Our geography and the location of some of our more remote communities are a challenge for us and do contribute to our response times generally being higher than other metropolitan areas.

"Police would like to thank members of the public for reporting suspicious behaviour.

"The community's information can often be beneficial to an investigation, and we encourage people to report any suspicious behaviour."

A police spokesperson confirmed enquiries into the theft of Harbuz's trailer were ongoing and they were following lines of enquiry.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Police on 105 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.