Thieves target wealthy mums

Vehicles, including PR woman Sarah Paykel's, have been targeted by thieves at high-end childcare centres. Photo / Greg Bowker

Thieves with an eye for luxury have a new target: the big cars driven by Remuera's well-to-do mothers to drop off their toddlers at childcare.

High-flying PR woman Sarah Paykel, the daughter of whiteware magnate Gary Paykel, was hit when she parked in the secure carpark at the Small World Advanced Child Care and Learning Centre on Dilworth Ave.

Thieves broke into another car there on Friday afternoon, and there are other reports of smash and grabs at the neighbourhood's childcare centres.

Electric gates with PIN numbers, supplied to all staff and parents, weren't enough to keep the thieves out of Small World.

Small World is an ABC childcare centre and general manager Craig Presland said the break-ins were a concern but he did not believe they were an inside job. He said Bearpark childcare centre, 100m up the street, had also been hit.

On one occasion a thief was seen running from the Small World carpark and getting into a car. The witness managed to get the registration of the vehicle but it was a stolen car.

"Getting into the car park, unless you are parents or staff, is impossible ... however, I would be very, very surprised if it was a former staff member or parent," Presland said. "It's probably an opportunistic thief who targets wealthy parents. I am not aware of any disgruntled former staff or parents."

A handbag was stolen from the first car but Presland did not have details about the second break-in. He refused to comment on what type of cars had been targeted.

However the Herald on Sunday understands they were expensive luxury vehicles such as Porsche Cayennes and Range Rovers.

"The cars involved belonged to parents of children," Presland said. "There have been no thieves in the building."

Security cameras would be installed in the carpark tomorrow and monitoring screens set up inside the centre.

Presland also hoped to meet local police this week to discuss the problem. Parents have been informed of the thefts in a letter.

Newmarket police were aware of the incidents but said there was no trend. Eastern Auckland area commander Chief Inspector John Palmer said there was no evidence of thieves targeting wealthy Remuera residents.

"Thefts from cars is a nationwide problem," he said. "Opportunists break in at any place or time - they don't necessarily break into a certain type of car. "It doesn't matter if you have a clapped-out Toyota Corolla or a flash Mercedes Benz, if there is valuable property in the car there will be unsavoury types of people who will break in and take it."

Palmer said the message was quite clear to all car owners and drivers: "Please, for goodness' sakes, do not leave valuable property in open view in your car. It's bread and butter stuff.

"People think they are just getting out of the car for a minute they can leave their bag. But while they are in the shop or dropping the kids off at school it only takes a minute for a thief to break in."