Campbells Bay Tennis Club honesty box dug up by thieves

The gaping hole left behind after the theft of the honesty box at the Campbells Bay Tennis club. Photo / Supplied

• Campbells Bay Tennis Club’s honesty box was stolen, leaving members shocked and concerned.
• The box, containing several hundred dollars, was dug up and taken in a rubbish bin.
• The club plans to switch to an electronic payment system and improve park security.

By Finn Blackwell of RNZ

Members of a tennis club on Auckland’s North Shore are shocked by the theft of their honesty box.

Campbells Bay Tennis club members came to play their regular matches on Wednesday morning, only to find a hole where their honesty box for court fees used to be.

Club secretary John Roughan told RNZ the offenders dug up the box from the ground and wheeled it away in a rubbish bin.

“They had dug the whole thing up,” he said.

Roughan said the honesty box was for non-members to put $10-$20, depending on how many were playing and for how long.

The gaping hole left behind after the theft of the honesty box at the Campbells Bay Tennis club. Photo / Supplied

He said the box had not been cleared since before Christmas and could have contained a few hundred dollars by the time it was taken.

“It’s shocked us all a bit,” said Roughan.

“We’re all a bit nonplussed, and wondering who it was, and how it happened.”

He said they were told by police there was not much that could be done.

“They had dug the whole thing up,”

Club secretary John Roughan

“We probably won’t replace the honesty box, we’ll go now to a fully electronic, fully online system of paying for casual court hire.”

Roughan said they were wanting to improve the security of the park around the tennis club.

He said they had been told by Auckland Council it was the club’s responsibility to look after security of the building as the lessee.

“We’ve got to improve the security for the park in general, make sure people can’t drive vehicles in there later than they’re allowed to.

“We’re quite concerned that we’re going to get a far more serious break-in unless something is done,” said Roughan.

“Sports clubs, tennis clubs, are not rich,

“They exist hand to mouth pretty much, so we miss the contributions we can get from casual players.”

Police have been approached for comment.

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