Beach Haven doorknocker case: Police pursue 'strong leads'

Police say that they are pursuing "strong leads" in the hunt for the young girl whose early-morning doorknock left a North Shore woman on edge.

A Beach Haven mum posted a warning on Facebook earlier this week after an early morning visit left her feeling "shattered" and fearing for her family's safety.

She heard a light knocking at her front door at 4am one morning and found a woman asking to be let in.

Fearing that the visitor was not acting alone, she did not agree to the request and told the woman to leave the property before calling the police.

The mother-of-three posted the tale on a Facebook community group, urging others to look out for the woman.

Now the Herald can reveal the latest from the police investigation into the incident.

Inspector Kevin McNaughton, the Area Prevention Manager for Waitemata East, told the Herald: "Police are aware of concerns of some members of the local community following reports of person who knocked on a member of the public's door in the early hours of Tuesday morning."

"Police are currently looking into the matter and have strong leads as to the identity of the young girl involved."

McNaughton added that the police are "confident at this point that no offence has been committed," but encouraged anyone who feels unsafe at any point or sees anything suspicious to call 111.

McNaughton stressed that there is "no evidence to suggest this is a 'scam'."

Expert advice from the police

Senior Constable Paul Donaldson, the acting sergeant at Glenfield Station, told the Herald that anyone had the right to knock on someone's door: "It's a common-law right for any citizen to knock on anybody's front door, regardless of the time, unless they have been trespassed from that property."

He said: "If someone is knocking on your door at that time in the morning and you're not expecting it, try and see, without turning on the lights, who is at the door, without going to the door."

"Speak to them through a side window and say 'what do you want' and qualify their intent."

Donaldson advised anyone believing that a visitor had a genuine need, to tell them to wait on the doorstep and call police.

"Don't put yourself at any risk of going out there and getting involved in potentially a scheme that will see you a victim of their ill-intent," he said.

Police recommend people follow this advice to keep their homes secure and suggested remembering these key points:

• Don't open the door to strangers. Install a peephole in your door. If you don't know someone, keep the door closed.

• Have a phone by your bed.

• Arrange with a neighbour to phone or visit you if your curtains are still drawn after a certain time in the morning.

• Never tell someone that you are alone in the house.

• Install a wide-angle door viewer so you can see who is at your door.

• Keep your doors and windows secure and close your curtains at night.

• Invest in good-quality, secure locks.