Kaitaia businessman David Collard has appealed to Northland District Commander Superintendent Russell le Prou to give the police in his town the support they need to get on top of a months-long spate of burglaries and wilful damage.
Mr Collard, who said yesterday he had yet to receive a response,told Superintendent le Prou that Kaitaia was under siege by burglars, and nothing the local, under-staffed police were doing was having any impact.
Thousands of dollars worth of damage was being done and the town was becoming desperate.
"It may be that a dog handler needs to be stationed here overnight for a few weeks so he can be on the spot when needed, or more personnel so a night shift can be re-established," Mr Collard said.
He was hearing of business owners talking about sleeping in their premises overnight so they could catch burglars in the act and dish out some summary justice.
He did not believe that was a good idea but it showed how desperate people were becoming.
"Kaitaia is seen by the media as a town with a social problem and it would be a shame to further enhance that reputation should they get hold of this issue," Mr Collard said.
