Police operation Trump Card last year shut down a major theft and burglary ring in Wellington and ended up with warehouses full of stolen property — more than 5000 items including bikes, tools, hardware and appliances.
Sofar 12 people have been charged and are before the courts on burglary, receiving and theft charges. Further arrests are expected.
Police who disrupted a major theft and burglary ring in Wellington have catalogued more than 3000 stolen items — from bicycles to bath taps — in the hope of reuniting them with their owners. Photo / Supplied
Wellington CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch says a team of officers has been working through the seized items to reconcile them with property reported stolen throughout Wellington over the past three years.
“This has been a significant undertaking and good progress is being made.”
So far 93 of the 298 bikes, 10 of 29 e-scooters and 11 of 49 laptops have been identified and will be returned to owners or insurance companies.
“We continue to work through the seized items to return as many as possible to the rightful owners, Leitch says.
“The process is taking time due to the sheer number of items seized and the need to clearly identify property before it can be returned.
But he says in many cases only limited property details were provided at the time of the initial reporting.
“We ask the owners of stolen property, particularly if it is unique or has an identifiable feature, marking, or a known serial number to contact the police and provide this additional information.”
Many distinctive bikes, tools, builders’ equipment and other items are still to be identified, he says.
"Being in a position to finally return goods to people who had to go through the anguish of having their property stolen is a real privilege for police." Photo / Supplied
“Anyone that has property stolen that has not reported the theft, is encouraged to do so, and provide a description of their item.”
Reports and updates regarding identifying features can be made by filling out a 105 report online quoting Operation Trump.
