Kristin Macfarlane: Burglaries in Rotorua and Tauranga a ridiculous normal we have become used to

The most common time for burglaries in Rotorua and Tauranga has been revealed. Photo / File

COMMENT

I was aged 11 when I came home after visiting my nan to find my home burgled and all my Christmas presents stolen.

That was one of four burglaries I've been a victim of and each time, no matter how old I was or the belongings stolen, the gut-wrenching feeling of violation was the same.

It was probably one of the most memorable, but not because the items taken were of significant value, because it was the first time I was experiencing the weird feeling of knowing someone had felt entitled to break into your home and destroy your safe space.

I remember walking into my bedroom and finding my room ransacked, empty shoeboxes and the pile of presents at the end of my bed gone.

Another time, the only time as an adult I've been burgled, my sister came to visit while I wasn't home to find my ranch slider had been smashed and my garage door slightly open. The scariest part was that police believe my sister disrupted the burglar, who was likely to still have been in the garage when she arrived.

As an adult I was probably more aware of "what could have happened" had she not left when she did and conscious of the fact that the burglar may have "missed out" on something they liked and could return, leaving me feeling unsafe in my own home.

This week, we revealed when you're most likely to be burgled in Tauranga and Rotorua.

The new data found Saturday afternoon and the early hours of Sunday were the most common time for burglars to strike in Tauranga, and in Rotorua burglars were targeting homes on Sunday afternoons and evenings.

To avoid falling victim, people are advised to lock their doors and windows, and police have also suggested people engrave their items with their driver's licence number as a form of protection.

But the fact that we have to take measures to protect ourselves and our belongings from strangers in our own home is such a ridiculous normal that we have become accustomed to.

While we shouldn't have to take preventative measures to ensure our private space hasn't been invaded, the sad reality is that we do ... all because some entitled person feels as though another's belongings should be theirs.

I can empathise with people who are truly in situations where they feel they have no other option but to steal to survive, but making people feel unsafe in their own home is not the answer.

Possessions can be replaced but emotional scars can be harder to heal.