Private eyes favoured over police

By KELLY BLANCHARD in Rotorua



Increasing numbers of Rotorua burglary victims frustrated by police responses are turning to private investigators to resolve crimes.

Local investigators say calls from people inquiring about their services following crimes like burglaries are on the rise.

While most people sympathise with police, who are unable to spend a lot of time investigating some crimes, they are frustrated about having to pay for a service they believe should be provided by police.

Rotorua private investigator Mike Dingwall from Private Investigations Ltd said he received up to three inquiries a week from people keen to book his services to track down burglars.

Many did not go through with it because of the cost but he had worked for about three burglary victims since November, he said.

A former Rotorua police senior sergeant, Mr Dingwall has been a private investigator for three years and said the number of people inquiring about his services to catch burglars had increased in that time.

Mr Dingwall said society was unfortunately moving towards a user-pays system which included crime-solving.

"If you want someone to do a good burglary examination, you have to pay someone.

"Once at big rugby games, the ground would be patrolled by police officers, now it's security guards."

Mr Dingwall said there was now more demand for police resources.

"Police try their best to deliver a good service and we're not anti police at all. In fact, we see ourselves as complementing what they do ... The only other solution is to have more police and that's not very likely."

Acting Rotorua police area controller Inspector Steve Bullock said burglaries were the top priority for local police.

He said police responded automatically if a burglar was still on a property and attended as soon as they could to reports of historic burglaries.

"We try to ensure we give the best service as possible and it's also in our best interests to get to a burglary scene early."

Mr Bullock said hiring private investigators was not new and he questioned its value.

"I would be surprised if a private investigator could provide a better investigative service than what we can."

Last year, Rotorua police caught 190 burglars, solving hundreds of burglaries. The number of reported burglaries dropped 15 per cent last year.

Mr Bullock said hiring a private investigator was a personal choice.

"As far as I'm concerned police provide a response to burglaries as soon as we can and as professionally as we can ... In saying that, we are reviewing our responses constantly."

Former Rotorua senior sergeant Mike Campbell, now a private investigator in Auckland, said the public had always been dissatisfied with the level of policing - even 24 years ago when he was in the force.

"The things people were complaining about in 1981 are the same things they are complaining about today."

Mr Campbell said he believed members of the public wrongly thought it was up to the police to find their burglars.

"About 90 per cent of my business right around New Zealand is investigating criminal activity. Police certainly have a role and they work in with PIs.

"There is a thin blue line to enforce the laws in the country.

"We would need an army of police if they were expected to enforce everything. It just can't happen."